Under pressure
by Dannee-san
Summary: While a new threat to peace seems to have appeared, our Gundam Wing crew struggle with their feelings. WARNING: drama and slight angst. But a happy ending. Author's note removed. New chapter up.
1. Prologue

Hi, this is my first GW fic. I hope you like it. The prologue is a bit long, but it basically  
  
tells what's going on with everyone. The plot is tied to Wufei at first, just thought you should  
  
know.  
  
Thank for reading.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Under Pressure  
  
Prologue  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Here are the papers you asked for, minister."  
  
"Yes, thank you." Relena took the documents held out to her.  
  
When the clerk had closed the door behind him, she sighed. 'I wish we wouldn't need all  
  
this bureaucracy. It's enough to drive someone insane. If I wouldn't have to file every document  
  
sevenfold with my personal signature on it, I'd have more time for the real issues.' She grinned.  
  
'And more time for myself. I haven't slept one good night for the last week and that headache has  
  
been plaguing me for days. When are people going to learn that when you live on the other side of  
  
the earth night and day are reversed?'  
  
She shook her head with a pained expression and began flicking through the papers, pulling  
  
out a few documents. As she read them the door of her office opened and a middle aged woman came  
  
in.  
  
"Yes, Anna?"  
  
"I brought today's mail, minister. And don't forget your lunch appointment with the president  
  
of Brazil," the woman said. She placed a small pile of envelopes varying in size on Relena's desk.  
  
"Thank you, I won't forget." Relena dismissed her with a smile and a nod.  
  
"Like I would forget that guy," she murmured when her secretary had closed the door. She put  
  
the papers aside and began sorting the mail. "President Biracky? What now?" She opened the letter.  
  
It read:  
  
Honored foreign minister Darlian,  
  
After long consideration we have come to the conclusion we can not accept your offer  
  
of joining the new Earth Covenant. Given the past we have no faith in an new alliance  
  
of al the nations on earth. Consequently we will not send a representative to the  
  
Senate. We thank you for your offer.  
  
Yours faithfully,  
  
blabla.  
  
"Great," Relena moaned. "Another country who has turned us down. If this goes on the Covenant  
  
will have no more than ten members. That's not much of an Earth Covenant." Still the refusal of all  
  
those countries was understandable. In the past many nations put faith in the Earth Sphere Alliance  
  
and after that OZ and Romafeller. They only brought war and destruction, including to Relena's  
  
fatherland, the Cinq kingdom, where in the former royal palace she had setteld her office. Naturally  
  
they were now suspicious of a new organization popping up, promoting peace and happiness for everyone.  
  
And with even Relena Darlian in charge of the negotiations and candidate to be the head of the Senate,  
  
government still refused to join. There was nothing to be done about it. Forcing nations to join would  
  
violate everything the Covenant claimed to stand for.  
  
Relena leaned back in her chair, her thoughts drifting. 'I could really use Heero right now. If  
  
only he was here, just for a moment. He always gives me the strength to go on, even when I think I'm  
  
about to collapse. His presence is like a drug.' She smiled rather slyly. And drugs are addictive. 'Oh,  
  
wake up, Relena. Heero's not here right now. You're on your own. I wonder how he's doing? He has his  
  
work cut out for him, bringing old and abandoned mining facilities in space back online. At least it'll  
  
keep him busy, a little to busy to my taste.'  
  
With a sigh she pulled herself back to reality, back to the paperwork spread before her. Two more  
  
countries refused to join, while another asked when they can send their Senator. The enthusiasm displayed  
  
in the letter made her smile. At least some people are optimistic.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"Everyone stand back! It's about to blow!" Heero wiped the sweat of his face as he backed away.  
  
A few seconds later the tunnels echoed with the sound of an explosion. The noise died away leaving the  
  
workmen with their ears ringing, covered in dust.  
  
"Nice and dirty work, huh Heero?" the man next to him, Anton, grunted.  
  
"Yeah, remind me to tell Quatre he should install more showers in the barracks."  
  
Anton just grinned, causing cracks in the dirt that has already dried on his face. Heero supposed  
  
he didn't look much different after eight days in the tunnels of the mining asteroid, clearing caved  
  
tunnels so the miners could reach the ore veins again. Five years after the war between the earth and  
  
space ended, the rebuilding of both the earth and the colonies only just began. It's strange how  
  
resilient humans are. Even the conflict caused by Mariemeia barely interfered with the rebuilding  
  
of peoples homes. Heero shook his head. Even war could not completely numb people. 'At first I couldn't  
  
believe it, so Quatre told me to come see it with my own eyes. He was right. Every colony is buzzing with  
  
activity, working hard to rebuild what has been destroyed. Maybe it's also a way of forgetting the horrors  
  
of the war. If you can no longer see what they caused, they seem further away.'  
  
"Hey, come on, dreamer. We've got another pile of rocks to clear out." Anton nudged him forward.  
  
Heero rested his shovel on his shoulder and walked towards the new hole made by the explosives.  
  
"Honestly," Anton said "I'm seriously beginning to think you left your brains somewhere far away,  
  
if you ever had them, that is."  
  
Somewhere far away. That were where everyone was, right now. Quatre was busy keeping his father's  
  
business together and looking after his sisters. This mining facility was one of the many in the hands of  
  
the Winner family. Trowa was at the circus again and whether he was on Earth or at one of the colonies,  
  
Heero didn't know. Duo could be anywhere and asking for Wufei's whereabouts was absolutely pointless.  
  
Maybe he was searching for survivors of his native colony.  
  
Only Relena was easy to keep track of. Every move of that woman was recorded by television stations  
  
and newspaper reporters. She was desperately trying to build some kind of overall organization to unite the  
  
earth and perhaps even space with it. Unfortunately not many people supported her ideas, no matter how admired  
  
she was. Amazing how fast people could change in politics. 'They're probably just more cautious and who can  
  
blame them? The last few years haven't been easy and people would much rather just cling on to what they have  
  
instead of investing in something that could blow up in their faces. They don't want history to repeat itself.  
  
But is it then so wrong what Relena is trying to accomplish? If people shut themselves away from each other,  
  
wouldn't that just arouse more suspicion? I don't know, but that makes sense. In that new Covenant of hers  
  
not much can remain hidden. Do al those countries refusing to join have something to hide, or am I being  
  
paranoid? Maybe I don't want to know.' Heero grabbed his shovel with both hands and started adding his own  
  
dust to the clouds hanging in the air.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Two hands shook Duo awake rather roughly.  
  
"Wake up Duo, or you'll be late again!" Hilde voice slowly penetrated his fuzzy brain. "Honestly, I  
  
don't know how you do it! You can sleep twenty four hours and I'd still have trouble waking you!"  
  
Moaning Duo worked himself upright, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Yeah well, I guess I'm trying  
  
to make up for the lack of sleep I've had up until a few years ago."  
  
"No you're not. You're just lazy," retorted Hilde. "Now, get up, of you're gonna have to find yourself  
  
another job, again."  
  
Muttering angrily under his breath he climbed out of bed. As soon as he stood on his feet, he was shoved  
  
into the bathroom.  
  
"I want to see you dressed in five minutes," she ordered him, and she slammed the door shut.  
  
"I want to see you dressed in five minutes," Duo mimicked her. "Sheesh, it's not like we're still in  
  
the army or something. Oh man, that's the last towel. What happened to the laundry?" He snatched the last clean  
  
towel out of the closet. "Great, don't tell me the launderette is on strike!"  
  
"Come on, Duo! Hurry up!"  
  
"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming! Don't get so worked up!" He quickly put on his clothes and ran out of the   
  
bathroom.  
  
Hilde immediately pressed a package in his hands. "Here, lunch. Now, hurry!"  
  
"But... but what about breakfast?" he spluttered  
  
"No time." She shoved a sandwich between his teeth, smothering all other protests. "Go, I'll see you  
  
later."  
  
"This is just great," Duo muttered. "I'm not used to a daily job. I was a soldier. I slept when I had  
  
the chance. Since I don't have to fight anymore I sleep all the time. That's not a pattern easily broken. Hm,  
  
good sandwich." He ran through the streets of the colony, to the pit where a new complex was being build. This  
  
colony was one of the many where buildings were destroyed. The damage needed repairing. That attracted many  
  
people, mainly from former military organizations. The soldiers had nothing to do now the war was over, and  
  
chances on a new war grew very slim. 'Thank god, they have. I may be the God of Death, I'm glad I'm out of  
  
commission. I was just hoping for a more quiet life. This running around, hurrying to get in time for my shift,  
  
isn't exactly what I had in mind for the time after the war, the time of peace. Maybe in my mind I glorified  
  
peace to much. I guess because in war I had to work my ass of, constantly saving everybody else, I thought  
  
that in peacetime I'd have it easy going. I guess I was wrong. Oh well, I'll get used to it. It is kinda  
  
nice, leading a normal life.'  
  
"Well, you're in luck Maxwell, you're just in time. You're on the second team, so get yourself in gear."  
  
"Sure thing, boss." Duo ran of to where the rest of his team was waiting to be brought to the top of the  
  
building they were working on.  
  
The supervisor of the structure site watched him go. "That guy spends his enthusiasm on the wrong thing.  
  
Pity. Hey, you were are you going with those beams?" he shouted, startling the man driving the fork lift. "I  
  
thought I told you to load them on the truck!" Grumbling the man stalked of.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
People applauded enthusiastically when the act ended. Catherine waved at the audience as she left the  
  
arena. Trowa leaned against the lion cage. "Another huge success, I take it?"  
  
She smiled. "Yes, but it was easier when you were still standing against that board. At least I could  
  
be sure you wouldn't move."  
  
"I know, but we needed a new lion tamer, and I was already available." He turned around and patted the  
  
lion on the head through the bars. The lion purred loudly. Catherine looked on.  
  
"How you do it, I don't know, but you're amazing with the wild animals. Your act is really the best of  
  
our show."  
  
Trowa didn't respond to that. 'It just happens, naturally. I like the animals and they know that, so they  
  
don't hurt me. He sighed.  
  
"What's wrong, Trowa?" Catherine asked. "Don't tell you're nervous. You're never nervous, even when it  
  
would be the lions throwing knives at you."  
  
He laughed. "I wouldn't say that. You might give some people the wrong ideas."  
  
"I doubt it." He smiled at her.  
  
"Hey, Trowa. I heard you got a promotion." A man blocked the light, standing at the entrance of the tent.  
  
"Quatre. I didn't know you were on this colony."  
  
Quatre stepped in the tent. "I'm traveling along many colonies for business."  
  
"I heard about it."  
  
Catherine smiled. "I'll leave you two to each other. Nice seeing you again Quatre."  
  
"Nice seeing you too, Catherine."  
  
As she left Quatre turned back to Trowa. "Things haven't been easy. The Winner company is now pretty much  
  
the only company in space capable of making money, because it's so big and uses so many different resources. We're  
  
currently also recovering all the mining asteroids. We have a couple on line now, and more to come in the next few  
  
months. I'm trying to attract investors. The problem is, not many people still have confidence in anything that is  
  
not from their colony. The Alliance cut the colonies away from each other. Then OZ reestablished communication. The  
  
White Fang even united a part of the colonies for one common cause. And now that there are no imminent threats the  
  
colonies are simply to scared to connect again. They prefer living in isolation, because they're afraid of creating  
  
another all-powerful and dominating force like the Alliance or Romafeller that will only want to control them."  
  
Trowa shook his head. "But isolation will arouse suspicion, leading to tension and eventually conflict."  
  
Quatre sighed and set down to next him. "I know. It's a difficult situation. Both isolation and unison have  
  
their downsides. It's hard to choose, but in the near future isolation holds the least danger."  
  
"But a few generations from now, it will prove to lead to conflict, while a unison of governments, provided  
  
it is controlled by several legislations, can serve as a peacekeeper."  
  
"The Alliance was originally founded to be such a peacekeeper, but instead they became domineers."  
  
"That was because they had weapons. Remember OZ was the military force of the Alliance. While the leaders of  
  
the Alliance were talking on disarming, OZ wanted to control by using weaponry. Now weapons are banned, so the only  
  
way for the Covenant to act as peacekeepers is by negotiations."  
  
Quatre leaned back against the bars of the cage. "I'm afraid our current status is like a timebom. It can't  
  
last forever. One day something will happen that will bring this situation out of control. Already people are  
  
grumbling. Some protest about founding that Covenant, others say nations that don't join it, are undermining the  
  
peace. Relena is desperately trying to tell people that joining the Covenant is not an obligation. It is from choice.  
  
And it doesn't necessarily have to be decided now. It can wait. There's no deadline to it. Long before the colonies  
  
even existed, there were several organizations on earth where numerous countries served on. Even long after they were  
  
founded nations were still able to join."  
  
Trowa shook his head. "They know that. I don't think it's the joining that troubles people so much. When a  
  
situation similar to what we had the time of the Alliance occurs, they're afraid they cannot maintain neutrality.  
  
They don't want to be caught in a maelstrom caused by others."  
  
Quatre just nodded silently. They sat there for a while. The lion stared at their backs, lying quietly on  
  
the floor of his cage. Trowa pondered on their conversation. It was true that the nations were reluctant towards  
  
the new Covenant. They didn't see how it could be different, they only saw it's similarities with the Alliance and  
  
Romafeller. Perhaps Relena had been to soon with presenting here plans two years back, but on the other hand. If she  
  
had waited until the memories of the past had faded away, the nations and the colonies could have become to isolated  
  
for any chance of success.  
  
"We'll just have to wait and see, Quatre. Who knows, maybe Relena still has something up here sleeve. Even  
  
the nations that don't want to join the Covenant, still trust her. Maybe if she is elected es leader of the Senate,  
  
more government will consent."  
  
The other man sighed. "Either way, I have a business to run and tonight I have a meeting over dinner with  
  
a few prominents from this colony." He got up.  
  
Trowa followed. "How long will you be here?"  
  
"I don't know. The day after tomorrow I have to be on some other colony, but something might interfere with  
  
those plans. I'll see if I still have to meet you again."He smiled sadly. "My company is taking so much of my time,  
  
I can't even have a decent conversation with an old friend."  
  
"I know. Life is hard, even without war. Take care Quatre."  
  
"You too." Quatre left. Trowa stared at the empty space his friend just occupied. 'Quatre seems tired. He takes  
  
on to much. I have rarely seen him more beaten than just now. I wonder how the others are doing.'  
  
~~~~~~  
  
The tops of Himalaya's were covered in snow all year. Icy winds swept across the high plains of Tibet. A lone  
  
traveler stubbornly fought against the air currents. Dispite the cold the man didn't bother to button his coat. Neither  
  
did he stop to admire the scenery or even reorientate himself. He traveled west in a straight line.  
  
The words of the scientist still echoed in his mind. "We didn't know what caused it, but the energy readings we  
  
recieved were sky high. We wanted to find out where they came from. From the research centre we couldn't be more specific  
  
then somewhere in the western parts of Tibet. In order to find out more we went there. The closer we got, the clearer the  
  
signal became. Finally we were able to pinpoint it's exact location. It turned out to be underground. How far we don't  
  
know. Something happened before we could get into that. I still don't know how te describe it. Maybe it was part of the  
  
security system of whatever we had found. In that case it was very effective. Only four of the fifty teammembers survived.  
  
That was eleven years ago. Now, I don't understand why you're boss sent out such a young man, even though you were once one  
  
of those Gundam pilots. If I were you I'd refuse this assignment. I say it's suicide."  
  
'Can't say that ever scared me.' Since three years Wufei had worked as a freelancer taking on all kinds of jobs. Those  
  
had taken him all around the world. This time he followed an eleven year old trace to the western border of Tibet. 'I wonder  
  
if it's really as terrible as that guy said it was. People have a tendency to exaggarate dangers they've been in, to compensate  
  
their own cowardness. It still a long way, but I'll get there. Two weeks from now, I'll see what that thing is.' 


	2. Chapter 1

AN Well, this is chapter one. Still nothing much happening in here. It'll take a while before the action starts taking place, I tell ya,  
  
but Heero just got himself on a little sidetrack here. One that will bite him in the ass, so to speak. Hope you enjoy.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Under Pressure  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Heero shoveled his way through a pile of gravel. It wasn't exactly like he had been promoted, first a Gundam pilot,  
  
now a tunnel-redigger on a mining asteroid. Still, somehow this work was more honest, felt better. Despite the fact that it was  
  
very uneventful. Throwing shovel after shovel full of dirt behind you didn't really cause an adrenaline rush. But the work was  
  
satisfying.  
  
He sighed. Who am I kidding? Herding sheep in rural South Dakota is more exciting than this. Well, maybe I should  
  
take that up instead. That would crack Duo up. At least someone has some fun then. I'm bored. Maybe Wufei can use some  
  
help, if somebody has the stomach to work with him. No one had seen much of Wufei lately. He traveled around the world taking  
  
on jobs that took him anywhere. He had been sited in the Amazon, the Sahara, Iceland and anywhere in between. I wonder what  
  
he's looking for that he's searching so frantically.  
  
He drove his shovel in the last bits of the pile he was working on and was halted. Rock? There could be rock under there,  
  
the whole meteor was made out of rock. He moved his shovel around and heard the scraping sound of metal against metal. Quickly  
  
he cleared it. It was a vertical metal plate and it disappeared underneath a thin layer of rock higher up the wall. The metal was  
  
smooth and definitely handmade. But how did it get here, and how big was it? He grabbed his pickaxe and attacked the wall.  
  
"Hey, what's wrong pall?" Anton asked. "Don't you think we got enough rubble for a day?"  
  
"I found something," Heero commented, between hacking. "Seems like a metal wall's been covered. I wanna know what it is."  
  
"Well, now. That is certainly more interesting then throwing dirt in the face of the man standing behind you. Let's see what it is."  
  
The older man grabbed his own pickaxe and started working on the wall as well. The thin rock flaked easily enough. In mere moments they  
  
had uncovered a large metal plate. Heero search it with his fingertips until he felt a crack. He followed the crack all the way around. It had  
  
the shape and size of a doorway, but there was no lock, not even an electronic one. Perhaps on the wall next to it. He pressed his hand against  
  
the wall, while Anton looked on.  
  
Click. A small panel opened. Buttons lit up.  
  
"I will need tools to crack this lock." Heero wiped the dust of his watch. "It's late. Let's tell the chef and get back to it tomorrow."  
  
The chef agreed to wait working on that tunnel until the mysterious door had been examined. He assigned Heero to guide a small  
  
team of scientists to investigate the phenomenon. They would return to the Winner company in a few days with a report on the mining  
  
asteroid and so they could include their findings of the mysterious room. And so the next day they had the tunnel all to themselves.  
  
Heero locked in on the panel with a small computer and started hacking the entrance code. It wasn't before long that the door  
  
opened. The four people put on their helmets in case the air was toxic or nonexistent. Strangely enough the door did not lead to any kind  
  
of room, more like an air vent. Perhaps the space behind the next door was supposed to be a vacuum. They all entered the vent, the doors  
  
closed, but no decompression came. There was an air current though. The other doors slid open, revealing a large laboratory.  
  
"Watch where you're going," Heero warned his small team through the communicators inside the helmets. "Check the air's composition,  
  
see if it's toxic."  
  
Two men immediately got around to it, while the third and Heero, went to investigate the lab. It looked like any laboratory where bio  
  
experiments were conducted. The walls were covered with shelves and shelves of labeled bottles and preparations of animals and plants. It  
  
all looked very sterile.  
  
"The air is clean," chimed a voice in his ear. "The composition is different from earth's atmosphere, but it is breathable."  
  
Heero took of his helmet and walked over to where the two men were bent over some equipment. "How is it different?" he asked.  
  
"Well, there is virtually no nitrogen present, but there are no traced of toxic gasses in it's place."  
  
"Hey, Heero, look at this," the other one called from the other side of the room.  
  
Since when am I in charge of this operation? He zigzagged through the room to where the man was standing. When he got closer  
  
he saw what the man meant. A skeleton was lying on the floor.  
  
"What do you suppose he died from?"  
  
Heero shrugged. "It could be anything, from undernourishment to a failed experiment. Let's see what we can find. And bag the remains  
  
of this one, alright?"  
  
"Euch. Do I have to?" Grumbling the man set to his gruesome task.  
  
Heero sat down to a computer and looked of it was still working. It was, although it was very old. It was easy enough to excess it, there  
  
was no password required. He looked through the files and eventually found a log.  
  
His eyes skimmed the entries. Some parts caught his attention. 'Specimen could not be contained in open air.' 'Specimen cannot exist in  
  
a nitrogen enriched environment. Creating new air composition.' 'Adjustments required to sustain life form on earth.'  
  
He continued to search the database until he found a name. Professor McConnoll. And a date. Heero blinked in surprise. 22 AC. That was  
  
a long time ago. This lab has been preserved for a long time. Strange the former miners had no knowledge of it.  
  
He investigated the computer, looking for a data output. Unfortunately he found none. This computer is stone aged. I'm gonna have to remove  
  
the hard drive and hope someone can salvage the data from it. He turned the computer of and got down on his knees. It wasn't difficult to open the  
  
computer or remove the drive. Looking at the dust and corrosion it was a miracle the machine had still worked. The drive seemed intact.  
  
"Did you find anything interesting?" he called to the others.  
  
"Some documents, notes. A refrigerator full of mould," answered one.  
  
"He most have died suddenly. There's still on object on the microscope. But that doesn't get us anywhere. It has completely dried up. Nothing  
  
visible anymore."  
  
"I think we had best seal of this place and see what we can get from this drive." Heero got up and wiped the dust from his knees.  
  
The man who had found the skeleton nodded. "Yeah, this doesn't get us anywhere. Hey, would anyone care to help me carry these bones out  
  
of here?"  
  
Heero walked over to him and together they picked up the rattling sack of bones. The other two carried the equipment they had brought in  
  
and a pile of the notes they had found. In the air vent they had to wait for the other doors to open.  
  
"Well, that was a waste of time," Heero grunted. "We didn't find anything. I think I had best just get to my team and start digging again."  
  
He left the three at their quarters and went to pick up his tools.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Quatre looked at his screen in surprise. "And one of the workmen found this?"  
  
The man standing at his shoulder nodded. "Yes, and since we would leave within a few days, we came along to see what it was and then  
  
bring our findings here."  
  
"I see." Quatre turned his attention back to the screen. This was intriguing. A lab from the early days of the space colonies. But why had  
  
it been so well hidden? And why was it abandoned? And who was this professor McConnoll? So far only a tenth of the data on the drive had  
  
been recovered and that didn't include the log the scientists had mentioned. All they had now were some unexplained equations and diagrams.  
  
"Well, keep this up and report to me when you're done."  
  
"Yes, Mr Winner."  
  
Quatre got up and walked out of the room. This was actually ver disturbing news. If one asteroid contained a lab, there was no reason  
  
why others wouldn't. And those labs could very well prove dangerous. He had to warn every mining facility in space and tell them to look out  
  
for any signs of metal in the rock.  
  
"This is not what I was waiting for. I'm busy enough as it is, I don't need some stone aged lab in one of my mines as well."  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Hilde leaned against a tree in the park. All it needs is a bright blue sky, but that's impossible in the colonies. She would meet Duo here  
  
on his way home from work. She had something very important to tell him. Her hand went to her belly and she smiled. She had probably made the   
  
doctor deaf when he had told her. She had been so happy she had screamed it out loud.  
  
"Hey, Hilde, what are you doing here?"  
  
She looked up in surprise. Duo stood grinning down on her. She hadn't even seen him coming. Well, great lookout she turned out to be.  
  
"I had something I wanted to tell you."  
  
"And it couldn't wait until I got home?" he smiled. "Well, it doesn't matter, I wanted to ask you something, anyway."  
  
"Oh, yeah? What?"  
  
He shook his head. "No, no, ladies first."  
  
"Alright." They turned around to stroll home quietly. "Well, I went to see a doctor today, for some test results."  
  
"You're not sick are you?" he asked, sounding alarmed.  
  
"No, don't worry. It's nothing serious. I didn't think it was, either. It was more of a confirmation of my own suspicion."  
  
She was cut short when Duo grabbed her by the shoulders. "Will you stop beating around the bush, woman, and just tell me what's going on?"  
  
"I'm pregnant."  
  
The answer was silence. He looked at her wide_eyed. "Ye... you mean it?" he finally managed to say.  
  
She only nodded.  
  
His face split into the widest grin she had ever seen. "But that's great," he yelled and he picked her up and swirled her round and round until  
  
she got dizzy. And when he finally stopped tossing her about she didn't even get the time to pull herself together, because he kissed her so forcefully,  
  
she couldn't tell up from down.  
  
"That's wonderful," he whispered in her ear. "I love you. I love you so much. Will you marry me?"  
  
Her heart stopped. "Was that what you wanted to ask me?" she squeaked, out of breath.  
  
"Yeah. So what do you say? Will you?"  
  
"Wow," she said. Then she looked up. "I'd be mad if I didn't." She imagined her grin mirrored his.  
  
Later that night Hilde laid in her fiancé's arms very much content with the world. A marriage coming up and a baby. Everything was absolutely  
  
perfect. Aside from the fact Duo needed a shave. She lay in the darkness listening to the sound of his breathing as she had done many nights before, but  
  
this time it somehow felt different. From this time on, she could be certain to always hear that. She breathed in deeply, happy with everything.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Well, that's it for know, next update is scheduled for the 10/19, in case someone is reading this and interested. I know the fic is very uneventful for the  
  
time being, but I promise that will change. Please make me happy and review? And please no flames? makes cute pouty face to plee with readers 


	3. Chapter 2

AN Well, hello there. The next chapter. Oh, dear, Heero is in trouble. Again, keep an eye on Wufei. Nopt that he's doing that much. Enjoy reading!  
  
Disclaimer: I forgot, but do you guys really think I own it? Come on! Get real!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Under Pressure  
  
Chapter 2  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Relena angrily threw the next rejection lettre aside. Great, as things stood now, only a fifth of  
  
the world was willing to take a seat in the Covenant. And she could not accept that. It was all or nothing.  
  
If not all nations agreed, she would have to dismiss the Covenant, as sad as that may be. She could not  
  
risk the possibility of the Covenant growing into a next Alliance or Romafeller.  
  
She looked forward to next week. Then she would visit the colonies. More specifically she would  
  
visit the Winner company. She looked forward to seeing Quatre again. And maybe she had a chance to see  
  
Heero, too. Again her thoughts drifted towards him, as they had done so many times before. Three years.  
  
Three years since she had last seen him. And that meeting had been in a room full of people, where she  
  
couldn't have said what she really had wanted to say. She regretted that ever since.  
  
And tonight she would meet Milliardo and Lu. That was something to look forward to as well.  
  
Unfortunately that did not solve the problem she had right now. If only it could.  
  
A knock on the door pulled her out of her misery. "Yes?"  
  
Anna opened the door. "A call, minister, from Hilde on line four. It sounded rather urgent."  
  
"Thank you, Anna." Her secretary closed the door, while Relena reached for the buttons on the  
  
left side of her desk. The communication screen flickered on and Hilde appeared on it, looking very  
  
flustered.  
  
"Relena, you will never guess what happened yesterday."  
  
Well, this could prove to be a very pleasant interruption of her work. "If I cannot guess, then you'll  
  
just have to tell me."  
  
"Right." Hilde pushed her hair back. "Remember how I told you I had been feeling a bit weird lately?  
  
I went to a doctor to see if there was anything wrong with me and there wasn't. Which is good news, I know,  
  
but it's not the end of the story. Just because there was nothing wrong with me, didn't mean there was nothing  
  
going on."  
  
"Oh, would you cut the suspense already?" Relena cried out exasperated.  
  
"Indulge me, will you? Duo didn't let me finish either."  
  
The minister sighed, but nodded. "Go ahead."  
  
"Speaking of Duo, he was so thrilled when he heard, he asked me to marry him. Oh no, that's not really  
  
true. He said he had been meaning to ask me for weeks, he just couldn't find the right time."  
  
"He proposed?" Relena yelled. "No way! Really?"  
  
Hilde beamed. "Yes, he did. Oh, I am so happy right now. I couldn't be any happier, I think."  
  
"So, when is the wedding?"  
  
"Well, it's gonna have to be within the next three or four months, cause otherwise I won't fit properly in  
  
a wedding dress."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
Hilde just smiled secretive and let Relena puzzle it out herself. It didn't take her long.  
  
"You're pregnant?" she whispered.  
  
Hilde nodded with a glowing smile.  
  
"Oh, Hilde that's just wonderful! Congratulations! So when are you due?"  
  
"The 24th of September."  
  
"I'll be there! I'll definitely be there."  
  
Hilde frowned. "Can you fit that into your schedule?"  
  
"Sure I can! It's not every day your best friend delivers a baby! The world will just have to make it without  
  
me for a few days. I have about a year holiday time left."  
  
"That bad, huh?"  
  
Relena nodded. "I haven't had more than a day per half year off for the past four years. I really could use a  
  
break. So call me as soon as you have set a date for the wedding, okay?"  
  
"I will, Relena. Don't worry, I will."  
  
"Have you heard anything from the others?"  
  
Hilde shook her head. "No, Quatre is very, very busy. I think the only one more busy than him, is you. Heero  
  
is just working, but according to Duo, who spoke to Quatre about a month ago, he's fine. We saw Trowa about six  
  
weeks ago. His circus came by. But I thought you were going to Quatre's next week. At least you can ask him about  
  
Heero."  
  
"What makes you think I will only ask about Heero?" Relena inquired innocently.  
  
Hilde laughed. "You can't fool me, my friend. You are head over heels in love with that man and I bet not a  
  
day goes by that you don't think of him."  
  
"I am not in love with him!" Relena protested angrily.  
  
"Whatever you say, dear. You can fool yourself all you want to, but your words don't convince me."  
  
The other line whined. Saved by the bell. "I have to go, there's someone on the other line. Talk to you soon,  
  
okay?"  
  
"Definitely. Good luck with your work, Relena."  
  
"Thanks." They disconnected.  
  
On the other line was Quatre. "Hi, Relena. How are you?"  
  
"Considering my workload, I think I'm doing rather well."  
  
The former Gundam pilot smiled. "I know what you mean. I just called to say there's been a slight change of  
  
plans. I won't be able to meet you on the L4-7 colony, because I'll be staying at the D6 colony for at least the next two  
  
weeks. Something very interesting came up and I want to direct my full attention to it. Does it wreck your plans to  
  
change course?"  
  
Relena shook her head. "No, not at all. Every other business I have in outer space cannot be dealt with on  
  
either colony, so it doesn't matter at all."  
  
"Okay, great. I have to go now. See you in a week."  
  
"Yeah, bye."  
  
Relena stared at the empty screen. Quatre inexplicably led to Heero, since that man was now working for  
  
the Winner company. She wondered how he felt, shoveling dust and rubble around.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Well, Heero wasn't feeling too great. But not because of the dust, except that it made him cough his lungs  
  
out. He rubbed his forehead, wiping sweat away. He felt a little lightheaded. Maybe the oxygen supply was failing.  
  
It wouldn't be the first time. Except that it didn't really feel like it. And nobody else seemed to suffer from it. He  
  
took a deep breath, but was cut short by another fit of coughing.  
  
"You shouldn't breath in too deep there, Heero," said Anton, slapping his back, trying to lighten the strain.  
  
"Maybe you should get yourself to the doctor, hey? You don't look so good."  
  
"I'm fine," Heero grunted. "It's this annoying dust."  
  
Anton nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if we come back with dustbags for lungs."  
  
Heero laughed curtly about the misplaced joke, but was again cut short by those racking coughs. He decided  
  
to just ignore it. Angrily he wiped his mouth, leaving a dark stain on his sleeve and set back to work.  
  
At the end of the day he was as worn out as after three days of continuous battle. Maybe Anton was right.  
  
Maybe he should see a med. But not today. He was too tired. Right now all he wanted was sleep.  
  
They got back to the barracks. By that time Heero was seeing double. It was a relief when he could finally  
  
hoist himself in the top bunk he occupied.  
  
"Hey, Heero, I don't want to ruin your bedrest, but shouldn't you at least take your shoes off?"  
  
Anton's voice barely penetrated Heero's clouded mind, but the latter thought his friend made a valid point.  
  
So he pushed himself upright again and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He had meant to jump down easily,  
  
but he wasn't allowed. The moment his feet hit the ground, his knees buckled from the shock of the landing and he  
  
dropped to the floor. Worse, the coughing he had been suppressing all afternoon, wouldn't be kept down any longer.  
  
He broke down completely, his body tormented by the terrible coughing.  
  
"Hey buddy, are you alright there?"  
  
Heero didn't register his friends words. He couldn't even breath. Every gush of air burned in his throat, making  
  
the coughing grow worse. His arms were tightly clamped around his chest, trying to relieve him from the pain. A metallic  
  
taste he knew all too well touched his tongue. Two hands grabbed his shoulders, trying to pull him upright, but they froze.  
  
"Somebody call the doctor," he heard a voice yell. He fought to open his eyes and then saw the reason for the  
  
panicked tone. On the floor in front him laid a pool of blood. He wiped his mouth and stared at the streaks of redness  
  
on the back of his hand. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. Something had damaged his lungs, and if he were  
  
to make a bet, he would guess on something in the strange lab.  
  
The pain in his chest was building. He clutched his sides in a hopeless attempt to quell it. Every breath came  
  
with more pain and more coughing. Oh, God, make it stop! He couldn't remember himself begging for anything. He  
  
vaguely remembered him saying defiantly to Treize once: 'I don't believe in God.'  
  
Nothing, in all the time he had been a Gundam pilot, all the times he had been shot, blown up or in any other  
  
way been hurt or maimed, had been as painful as this. This wasn't something he could fight. There was nothing to focus  
  
on, to forget the pain. This weren't more or less superficial wounds caused by his lack of care for his own body during  
  
battle.  
  
The pain seemed to tear him apart. The last coherent thought he had was directed to Earth.  
  
Relena...  
  
~~~~~~  
  
The blackness of space dotted with tiny specks was the only thing visible through the shuttle's window. Relena  
  
sighed and leaned back in her chair. They would reach the colony soon. She looked forward to seeing Quatre again. It's  
  
been so long, since she had seen any of her friends. The only thing that slightly worried her was the fact that Dorothy  
  
Catalonia would be there as well. Relena wondered what on Earth had possessed Quatre to hire that woman. It wasn't  
  
like she disliked Dorothy or distrusted her. What was past, was past and should be forgotten. Quatre just didn't strike  
  
her as the type to take a liking to Dorothy. But perhaps she was wrong. People could change and there was no reason  
  
why both Quatre and Dorothy couldn't overcome their differences.  
  
Relena and Heero had become friends in some odd, twisted way, and she supposed they differed at much from  
  
each other as kind Quatre and war loving Dorothy. If Dorothy was still as keen on war as before. Relena had heard from  
  
Trowa that during the battle on Libra Dorothy had had a run in with both Quatre and Trowa and that meeting had probably  
  
opened her eyes to some extent. The two men had left her quite stricken.  
  
Lu had met her a few times the past years. To her the girl seemed definitely to have calmed down.  
  
The colony hovered into view. Relena fastened her seatbelt and awaited the landing. Transportation to the Winner  
  
company stood ready and she arrived at the large building swiftly. At the entrance she was startled to find Dorothy. She  
  
had not expected to be confronted with her so soon. Quatre should have warned her.  
  
"Good day, minister Darlian. Welcome to the Winner company." The woman's voice contained the right amount  
  
respect for the vice foreign minister, but Relena sensed a wavering. Dorothy was uncertain as to how Relena would  
  
respond to her. Relena looked at the young woman standing in front of her and saw what Lu had meant. The raving fires  
  
in Dorothy's eyes had quieted. Instead a soft glow of kindness filled them. The same kindness that rested in Quatre's eyes.  
  
Relena smiled. Obviously Quatre's presence had been a great influence on Dorothy. "That's no way to greet an old  
  
friend, Dorothy. As I told you before, call me Relena."  
  
Dorothy's face broke into a wide smile, a genuinely happy smile. "Thank you, Relena." She reached out both her  
  
hands. Relena took them in her own.  
  
"It's been a long time. What have you been up to lately?" the vice foreign minister asked.  
  
Dorothy shook her head. "That's too long a story to tell. It'll have to wait. Come now. Quatre wants to see you."  
  
Relena's eyes narrowed, when she heard the other one mention Quatre's name. There had been a hint in her voice,  
  
the same tone she could hear so clearly from Hilde when she spoke of Duo. Dorothy liked Quatre. Maybe it was even more  
  
than liking, but that was not for Relena to start prying for.  
  
Dorothy led her inside through a grand hall. They took the elevator to the seventeenth floor, down the hall, until  
  
they stopped in front of a large double door. When Dorothy opened them it turned out the room behind it was Quatre's  
  
office. A large desk pecked with documents, much like Relena's own desk looked like, was set to the left side of the  
  
room, while in front of the large window some pleasant looking arm-chairs were grouped around a low table.  
  
Quatre stood looking out of the window his back turned to them. As Dorothy closed the door he turned around.  
  
"Welcome, Relena. It's nice to see you again in person." His smile might be warm meant, he looked very weary, and  
  
worried. "Have a seat, please. Did you have a pleasant journey?"  
  
As Relena sat down, she answered, "Yes, very well. Thank you. What's wrong?"  
  
Quatre sighed and set down himself. "It's useless to try and keep anything from you, is it? About a week ago  
  
one of the workers on the 98-264 mining asteroid stumbled across a hidden laboratory. The chef of the asteroid,  
  
decided the man would guide a few scientist into the lab. It appeared it had been made for biochemical research.  
  
The main drive of the computer was still intact and the scientists, who were supposed to leave the next day to report  
  
to me and be reassigned elsewhere, brought it back with them. The data we have recovered so far, has told us an interesting  
  
tale dating from the early times of the colonies, 22 AC to be exact. Unfortunately, the three men fell ill a few days ago, all  
  
with the same symptoms, bleeding lungs. Yesterday the worker from the mining asteroid was brought in as well, fallen with  
  
the same disease."  
  
"I'm sorry to hear that, Quatre. I understand if you are to busy investigating this."  
  
The tired man shook his head. "It's not that. I didn't know until I saw yesterday. Relena, that man is Heero."  
  
Relena froze. Heero? Heero is sick? That can't be!  
  
Quatre lowered his head in his hands. "The doctors are completely baffled as to what caused this. Our only hope are  
  
those records on the disk. Maybe something can be found there."  
  
"Heero is sick?" she whispered.  
  
A hand squeezed her shoulder. "Would you like to visit him?" Dorothy's voice broke in. "He is in the medical wing  
  
of this building."  
  
"Yes, yes I would like that very much."  
  
Quatre led them, but Relena didn't pay attention to where they were going. She hardly felt Dorothy's hand gripping  
  
hers in silent support and the concerned look the woman gave her completely escaped her notice. All she could think of was  
  
Heero. Heero was sick. Never, ever had he been sick, nor any of the other Gundam pilots. They were to strong to fall ill.  
  
She didn't notice Quatre had stopped to talk with a doctor or that they continued walking. It was only as they neared  
  
a large window that gave people a view of the room behind it, that she snapped back to reality. She suddenly dreaded nearing  
  
the window. With frightening certainly she suddenly knew Heero's chamber laid behind it. And as long as she hadn't reached  
  
it she could still hope it was all a joke, a lie.  
  
But when they halted in front of the cold glass all her hopes were crushed.  
  
Inside, stretched on a bed lay Heero Yuy. At the head of the bed equipment bleeped. A heart monitor showed the green  
  
line of Heero's heartbeat. An IV pole was heavy with bags filled with liquids that flowed into his arm. There were tubes and  
  
wires everywhere; Relena could hardly make Heero out.  
  
"Over the night his condition worsened." The doctor's voice caught her attention. "He developed respiration problems  
  
and we had to intubate him. I don't know how long that will last. His lungs are failing him. There's nothing we can do. I'm sorry."  
  
'Nothing we can do,' it echoed in her mind. 'There's nothing we can do.'  
  
"Dorothy?" Relena whispered hoarsely.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Would you please call my secretary, Anna, and tell her to wipe my agenda clean until further notice?"  
  
"I will. Now come. You look like you're about to collapse. Let's go back."  
  
Relena stubbornly shook her head. "I want to stay here. I'm not going anywhere."  
  
"No, Relena, I won't let you just stand here to drown in your own misery. Come on. We'll get you a room close by. Now  
  
come."  
  
Relena's resistance broke and she let herself be guided away. Dorothy was true to her word. The room they got her was  
  
close to the hospital wing. Dorothy settled Relena in a chair and poured her some tea. Then she got down on her knees in front  
  
of the former queen of the world and took her hands.  
  
That soft touch broke through her paralyzation. Relena dissolved in tears. Dorothy took her in her arms and held her,  
  
without saying a word. There was nothing to say. As things stood now Heero would die.  
  
Relena cried herself to sleep.  
  
Wufei carefully investigated the area. Things looked quiet, but by now he knew better. His arms still hurt from where  
  
the electrical shot had hit him. Not that he would ever let himself be bothered by it, he just preferred to avoid further harm to  
  
his body. There had to be a way to avoid the security line and enter whatever it was guarding.  
  
He looked at the ground for signs disturbed earth. Or maybe a line that would indicate the border of the security system.  
  
There it was. It was difficult to distinguish, but between the meager grass that tried to gain a hold here and there, run a  
  
thin line where nothing grew. If he would follow that around, at least he would get an idea as to how big it was he was after.  
  
And so he set out to walk around the perimeter, making sure he wouldn't get so close he would be zapped again.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AN Poor Relena. Or not, if you don't like her. Poor Heero though. I tried to make that scene with him a little angsty, to clearify the  
  
fact that he has absolutely no idea what he's supposed to do, when his body is failing him in such a manner. There is nothing he can  
  
do to stop it. Hope it worked.  
  
Well, that's it for now. A little longer than last time, I think. Please review. Next update is due next week. 


	4. Chapter 3

AN Well, and here is the next chapoter yet again. And Wufei is still bravely trying to form the  
  
plot. It'll be a while before he does though. Probable two or three chapters. I'm not sure.  
  
Disclaimer: don't own.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Under Pressure  
  
Chapter 3  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Quatre looked up as Dorothy entered. "How is she?" He didn't have to say who he meant.  
  
"Terrible, but at least she's sleeping now. I cannot imagine how that woman must feel."  
  
Dorothy shook her head. "I truly feel for her. It was dropped on her so suddenly, but there was  
  
no other way to break the news to her. I just hope some cure can be found." She walked up next  
  
to him and looked out over the insides of the colony. "How are you holding up?"  
  
Quatre looked down, puzzled. "What do you mean?"  
  
"One of your best friends is dying, Quatre. You don't always have to act so strong."  
  
He smiled down at her head. "Thanks, I know that." He sighed and looked out of the window again.  
  
Dorothy always managed to surprise him. She could be very hard sometimes, but she showed more  
  
and more signs of kindness. She had changed very much since their dual on Libra. He had actually  
  
grown to like her, as a friend. During the past she had proven her value within the Winner  
  
company, and proven how valuable a person she had become. And he loved her for that.  
  
He frowned at that thought. Did he love her? The way Duo loved Hilde, or the way Trowa  
  
loved Catherine? The latter, he was sure of it. Dorothy was a very good friend, but no more.  
  
Heero. He hoped something could be salvaged from the hard disk, that could save his  
  
friends life, and that of Relena. From what he had heard from Dorothy, Relena had completely  
  
collapsed after seeing Heero. He couldn't blame her. He knew the woman loved him. Exactly how  
  
deep that love went, he didn't know, but he knew the two of them were joined with a bond deeper  
  
than he could see. Heero's state had surprised him as well. He wasn't doing as well as Quatre  
  
had expected. It was cause for concern that the strong Gundam pilot had become as ill as that.  
  
Nothing had seemed to be able to hurt Heero. True many times he had been wounded, and  
  
once he had remained unconscious in Trowa's care for a month, but every time the pilot of Wing  
  
Zero had come through. Maybe it was because he no longer was a Gundam pilot. For five years he  
  
had had no reason to be the Perfect Soldier. For five years he had been... normal. As normal as  
  
Heero could be, but still...  
  
Quatre sighed. Just because everyone had always thought Heero as invincible, didn't mean  
  
the man really was. He was now fighting a battle inside his own body, and he was unfamiliar with  
  
that territory.  
  
The comm system on his desk beeped. Quatre walked to it and pressed the flickering button.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Mr. Winner, we found something that I think you should see."  
  
"I'm on my way."  
  
Dorothy turned around. "What is it?"  
  
"I don't know. The people working on that disk found something. Maybe it'll help."  
  
"I'll come with you."  
  
He didn't argue with her, they just set out. The laboratories where people were working for  
  
the Winner company were in the opposite direction from the hospital wing. They crossed hallways and  
  
lowered two floors until they reached the entrance. There they were halted for an ID check, until  
  
the guard took off his sunglasses and recognized 'Mr. Winner'. He opened the doors with an apologizing  
  
smile. Inside they were met be the assistant head-research and led to the lab where the disk was  
  
plugged in to computers, quickly copying and processing the data from it.  
  
The head-research, a professor Auron, greeted them. "Thank you, for coming so soon. We found  
  
some data regarding to what could be ailing your friend. As soon as the physician is here I will show  
  
you."  
  
They didn't have to wait long. The man came running down the hall. "Mr. Winner, professor Auron,  
  
Miss Dorothy," he nodded to each. "What have you discovered, professor?"  
  
"Come this way," the woman answered. "We have recovered the log intact. We think we know what  
  
is wrong. It would also explain the air vent as the entrance to the hidden lab. Professor McConnoll  
  
was working on a natural way to recycle the air inside the colonies. He tried to create a bacterium  
  
that would extract oxygen from carbon dioxide. An old project. He somewhat succeeded, but it didn't  
  
turn out the way he wanted. The bacteria could not survive in open air. He found, that, when exposed  
  
to nitrogen, the bacteria died. We think that the bacteria managed to survive inside the laboratory  
  
because the air there did not contain any nitrogen. When Mr. Yuy and the three scientists breathed  
  
in the air in the lab, their lungs were infected with the bacteria. After they left, they breathed  
  
in normal air again, causing a reaction in their lungs. The bacteria was trying to escape the nitrogen  
  
and by doing so, was damaging the lungs."  
  
The doctor ran a hand through his hair. "That could be possible. Can I see the records myself?"  
  
"Of course. We reserved a few computers for that." She stopped near a door to a small room where  
  
two computers stood waiting for them.  
  
Dorothy spoke up. "If what you are saying is true, professor, then shouldn't the deterioration  
  
of their lungs be put to a halt if we let them breath nitrogen free air? That should buy as sufficient  
  
time to create an antibacterial that does work."  
  
The doctor answered that question. "It very likely would. And frankly right now I am willing to  
  
try everything. Those four patient are slipping away and there is nothing I can do to stop it."  
  
"I'll see if I can order some nitrogen free air then." And Dorothy left the room.  
  
Grateful for her deductive mind Quatre sat down behind one of computers and began reading what a  
  
lonely scientist had written about one hundred and eighty years ago.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Relena woke with a start. For a moment she was completely disorientated. When she realized where  
  
she was everything crashed down on her again and she fought to hold back her tears. It was a losing battle  
  
and she new that. Before long she buried her face in her pillow and cried until she had no more tears left.  
  
She set upright and wiped her face. Her back occasionally shivered with dry sobs, but her mind was  
  
a bit clearer now. Before her minds eye danced the picture of Heero confined to his hospital bed, tubes and  
  
wires coming from everywhere. How could this have happened to her strong soldier? How could something as  
  
small as a bacterium render him so weak? The two images of Heero, one in the hospital wing, one in his  
  
Gundam's cockpit telling her to stay alive, didn't seem to be of the same person. But still, as she had  
  
stood in front of the glass looking into his room, she had felt the same strength, the same will to live,  
  
she knew so well. He was not one to give up, to lose to such in idiotic thing as a disease. She prayed  
  
with all her heart, all her hope, that he would get better. She prayed a cure could be found to save  
  
his life.  
  
A pang of guilt stabbed her heart. The three scientists, who had fallen with the same illness deserved  
  
the same as Heero, and yet she had not given them any thought until now. Well, she couldn't help it if her heart  
  
yearned for Heero, longed to see him walk, to able to look into his eyes.  
  
She wanted that so badly. She wanted to look into his eyes. She wanted his promise that everything would  
  
be alright, that he would protect her. But now he couldn't. Now he was the one that needed saving, and she stood  
  
helpless.  
  
She tossed the blankets aside and got up. Her bedroom window gave a startling view of a darkened colony.  
  
She stood there watching it for a while. Then she turned. This room could give her no peace. She grabbed one of  
  
the blankets to drape around her shoulders. Carefully she opened the door. There was no-one in the hallway.  
  
Barefoot she slipped around the corner and entered the medical wing unnoticed. The nurse sat behind her desk  
  
in the hall reeding a magazine. The light the monitors emitted played across her face.  
  
Relena glided passed the woman and entered Heero's room. The soft beeping of the heart monitor and  
  
the strange bellow-like sound of the artificial lungs next to his bed were the only sounds heard. She tiptoed  
  
to the side of his bed and hesitantly reached out her hand. Her fingertips brushed the part of his cheek not  
  
covered by the bandage holding the breathing tube in place. He felt hot, feverish. Sweat stood on his brow.  
  
He lay so silent. If not for his temperature or the beeps of his pulse, she wouldn't have known he  
  
still lived. She climbed into the comfortable chair standing by his bed and set there, watching him, as another  
  
artificial day in the D6 colony started.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Trowa stood silently in the middle of the empty circus tent. The show had ended this afternoon. Right  
  
after that he had received a call from Quatre. Trowa shook his head in disbelief. There was just no way Heero  
  
could be sick. That guy could cross the Antarctic in his underwear without catching a cold. Poor Relena. She  
  
must be a nervous wreck by now.  
  
He didn't notice Catherine entering.  
  
"Hey, you, what's on your mind?"  
  
"Oh, hi, Cathy."  
  
She walked up to him. "Is it the message you got from Quatre this afternoon?"  
  
Amazing how fast she could sense his mood and what had caused it. "Yes."  
  
She looked at him sideways. "Bad news, huh?"  
  
"Heero is sick."  
  
"Heero is sick?" That was definitely not something she had expected. Well, who would have? "How did  
  
that happen?"  
  
Trowa shrugged. "Apparently he found some forgotten lab from the early days of life in outer space in  
  
the mining asteroid he was working on. Something toxic in the air infested his lungs. The doctors don't know  
  
what to do."  
  
"But that's terrible! Where is he now?"  
  
"In the medical wing of a branch of the Winner company on colony D6."  
  
"Oh." She remained quiet for a while. Then she asked, "Wasn't Relena supposed to visit Quatre this week?"  
  
He nodded.  
  
"She must be in a fit. Poor woman. Like the stress of her work isn't enough. Do you think we should go  
  
there?"  
  
"There is nothing we can do. Besides, we would only crowd the place. We had better not get in the way."  
  
'There is nothing we can do.' With pain in his heart he realized how true that was. Mobile suites, mobile  
  
dolls, enemy soldiers with their gun exposed, that was something he could handle, something he could fight. But  
  
now he was helpless. And he couldn't stand to helplessly watch a friend die. He would rather stay away.  
  
"Come on, sis. Time for bed." He walked her to her trailer in silence.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Lu opened the bedroom door and halted. Zechs already knew. He was packing.  
  
"Lu, good, you're here. I just got a call from Quatre. We're leaving for colony D6. Heero's sick and  
  
Relena is a wreck. I want to be there, to try and support here." He looked up for a moment. "You're not surprised?"  
  
She shook her head. "No, I just got a call from Relena. She wants you to take over her duties."  
  
He frowned. "She does, does she? Why didn't you pass her on to me?"  
  
"Because your line was busy," she smiled. "Didn't you just say you talked to Quatre? They must have called  
  
at the same time."  
  
He stood there in doubt. "What should I do?"  
  
"Do as Relena asked you to. She wants you to look after the Covenant for a bit. All you have to do, is keep  
  
a record of which countries are joining and which are not. The rest can be handled when she gets back."  
  
He ran a hand through his hair. "Unbelievable, isn't it? Indestructible Heero falls ill. What next? Quatre  
  
takes on animal torture as a hobby?"  
  
"I don't think so, honey. Besides, Heero is way too stubborn to die."  
  
He sighed. "I hope your right, otherwise I wouldn't know what to do about Relena."  
  
"I wouldn't jump to conclusions just that. There's still hope. Good thing you packed, though, we're leaving  
  
for the Cinq kingdom."  
  
"We?"  
  
"Of course. I can't leave all that work to you."  
  
She had meant that as a jest, but Zechs's smile showed his gratitude. She helped him finish their packing  
  
and ordered a plane. 'Don't worry, Relena. Heero isn't going to die. I'm sure of it.'  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Relena sighed. Was it justified to stay here? Could she leave the Covenant to Milliardo, while  
  
it was still in such a fragile state? What would the world think of their vice foreign minister when  
  
they saw her moaning over a guy? Well, whatever they thought, she didn't care. Right now she didn't  
  
feel like working at all. She wouldn't be able to commit herself to it.  
  
She shifted in her chair. After twenty hours it became quite uncomfortable, no matter how  
  
luxurious it was. Heero's condition hadn't changed, which was a good thing, in a way. At least  
  
things hadn't become worse. The change of air had stopped the bacteria from attacking his lungs,  
  
but he showed no signs of heeling. Maybe it was too soon.  
  
The doctors had already discovered the bacteria were resistant to any kind of penicillin. They  
  
were now working on something new. She hoped they would hurry. Just because Heero was stable now, didn't  
  
mean he was out of danger.  
  
It was two in the morning now. She hadn't had any sleep since last night either and she was beginning  
  
to feel the effects. Her eyelids were heavy, but she refused to give in. It was silly though. What good would  
  
it do Heero is she fainted from the lack of sleep. Still, she didn't move. She couldn't. Her eyes were locked  
  
on Heero's face, trying to find some life sign. Futile, of course. There didn't seem to be any life left in him.  
  
She rested her head to the back of the chair and repaired herself for another night in Heero's room.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Wufei irritably re-buttoned his coat. The wind blew it in every direction, hindering his  
  
movements. He was angry he seemed to have given in to the cold, while he hadn't. Not that there  
  
was anyone to take notice, of course.  
  
The Tibetan heights were abandoned this far to the west. He had followed the growth-free  
  
line on the ground and estimated the area to be about half a square mile. Now he had to find a  
  
way to cross the security line, preferably without getting zapped again, but he was willing to  
  
take a little beating to find out what lay behind the line.  
  
There had to be a way to disable it. There was no point in creating a security system  
  
around nothing. It meant there had to bo some kind of control panel nearby. And that had to be  
  
standby 24/7. All he had to do was to locate that by trying to pick up some electric field  
  
deviating from the one emitted by whatever created those bolts fazing intruders.  
  
He dumped his backpack on the ground and began searching for the right tools. 


	5. Chapter 4

AN And here is the next chappie. No Wufei this time, but next one, he'll be there and then we'll  
  
have the real plot on its way. I just thought of this little story about Heero getting sick, but  
  
this way I can write some angsty stuff during the action with Heero. grins evily Oh, the things  
  
I'll put our poor Heero through. It's inhuman. Then again, so is Heero. Don't get me wrong, I like  
  
the guy. Anyway, on woth the story.  
  
Disclaimer: you know the drill.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Under Pressure  
  
Chapter 4  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"We got something!" a lab-researcher yelled. "Come on, work with me here. Kill those  
  
suckers. That's it! We got it! It's working!"  
  
The head medical research came running towards the yelling man. 'Please don't let this  
  
be another hoax.' He bent down over the man microscope and studied the preparation.  
  
"Alert Mr Winner. Seems like we really nailed them this time."  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Quatre ran through the hallways of his office. 'We got it! We actually got it! Don't  
  
worry Heero. You're gonna be fine.' He nearly ran into Dorothy.  
  
"You heard?" he panted.  
  
"Yeah. Relena's already there. They say it killed all the bacteria. This could be it."  
  
An exited smile painted her face as they continued on their way to the hospital wing. They  
  
arrived and were immediately waved through. Out of breath they barged into Heero's room.  
  
Relena looked up as they entered. Quatre noticed she looked fatigued, but for the first  
  
time in days he had seen a spark of hope in her eyes. Her hands were gripping the bar on the  
  
foot of the bed so tightly, her knuckles were white.  
  
The doctor readied a syringe. He inserted the fluid in Heero's IV. "Now all we can do  
  
is wait."  
  
Quatre hoped they wouldn't have to wait too long. Relena looked on the verge of a nervous  
  
breakdown. Dorothy walked up to her and placed her hands on the shoulders of the frail woman.  
  
"It'll be alright, Relena. You'll see. If anyone can get through this, it's Heero. Don't  
  
you think it's time you got a little rest? If Heero sees you in this state, he's gonna pass out  
  
again."  
  
Relena laughed. "Okay. I guess I could you some sleep."  
  
Dorothy guided her out of the room, leaving Quatre alone by Heero's bed.  
  
"You have to get better, you hear me?" the blond man whispered. "You're killing Relena  
  
with this." He smiled wryly. "You're killing all of us."  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"I can't do this!" Zechs threw down the papers. "All I had to do was process the mail  
  
concerning the forming of the Covenant. Everything else was to be put on hold." He stared at  
  
Anna accusingly.  
  
The woman remained unflustered. She had heard some of Relena's tirades and her brother's  
  
were mild compared to hers. "I'm sorry, sir. But this requires immediate attention and you are  
  
the only one with the authorization."  
  
"What am I supposed to do then?"  
  
"Whatever you think minister Darlian would do." Relena's secretary walked out, leaving  
  
Zechs enormously frustrated.  
  
Great. How was he supposed to handle a dispute between two neighboring countries about  
  
some supposed Coppermine. He wasn't too much skilled in diplomacy. That was more Relena's field.  
  
That was the reason she had this job, and not he. Now he had to dig up every map he could find  
  
to try and figure out where the ore veins were located.  
  
If only the Covenant had already been formed. Then he wouldn't have to deal with such  
  
things. Relena wouldn't either. Was this the sort of work she did every day? No wonder she was  
  
so busy.  
  
Well, at least he had another reason for the Covenant to be formed to present to stubborn  
  
nations.  
  
Grunting he began paging through several other documents.  
  
"Something bothering you?" Lu asked.  
  
"Hey, I didn't hear you come in. Yeah, some border dispute. I can't believe they're all  
  
putting this on Relena's plate. Don't they realize one woman can only do so much?"  
  
"Yes, they do seem to overrate Relena's strength a bit, don't they."  
  
Zechs sighed. "And that is an understatement. Maybe some bullying from the former Lightning  
  
Count would ease them up."  
  
Lu laughed. "I don't think Relena would appreciate that. Maybe she just has to learn to  
  
stand up for herself, so she can say 'no'."  
  
"Trying to teach Relena something for her own good, is an impossible job. If you're gonna  
  
try that, I wish you luck." The man turned around to look out the window. "I just feel so useless.  
  
I know taking over at least a part of her job means the world to her, but I know she is suffering  
  
because of Heero's sickness. I want to be there, to support her. I hate sitting here so far away  
  
from her."  
  
Lu walked up to him and embraced him from behind, her head resting against his back. "I  
  
know, Zechs, I know." She remained silent after saying those words. He was grateful for that.   
  
He had known Lu for so many years now, and it felt even longer than it actually was. They  
  
had been on the academy together, graduated together and then they had been stationed separately.  
  
He had missed her for a year and a half and then met her again. Because of those five boys. Wufei  
  
had targeted the Lake Victoria base, where she had been stationed, instructing future Mobile Suite  
  
pilots. She had been pissed at the young Chinese boy, who had killed most of her pupils. He now  
  
acknowledged how happy he had been at seeing her again, no matter how gruesome the circumstances  
  
had been. He could not imagine how much he had hurt her in the period after that. He had been  
  
honored and relieved when she still had agreed to stay with him. Two years ago they had married.  
  
After that, life with her had become even more of a bliss than he had imagined. He loved her,  
  
with all his heart.  
  
Absentminded he stroked her arms, surrounding his chest. Time had gone so fast, so suddenly.  
  
When they had visited Relena, a little over three weeks ago, he had been surprised at how much his  
  
sister had changed. They had been up most of the night, talking about the year in which they hadn't  
  
seen each other. In that one year, Relena had developed into a fully grown woman. He had been amazed  
  
at the change he had seen. It was then he had realized his little sister was... well... beautiful.  
  
The pride he had felt when he had seen her still held his breath as he remembered.  
  
He sighed. It didn't do to dwell on dreams. He had work to do. He just hoped Heero would heal  
  
so Relena would be happy again. According to Dorothy and Quatre she was a total wreck.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Someone was yelling at the top of his lungs, trying to get her awake. Relena shot up. Silence  
  
rang in her ears. Had it been a dream? Everything crashed down on her again. Heero.  
  
How long had she been sleeping? Could the medicine be working already. She glanced at her alarm  
  
clock. 11:00 pm it read. She reached out her hand. She had only slept for four hours. She pressed a  
  
button and the screen switched to the date.  
  
No, she hadn't slept for four hours. She had slept for twenty-eight hours. It was now 2 February,  
  
201 AC. She distinctly remembered the calender say, just before she fell asleep, February 1st. The medicine  
  
must have kicked in by now.  
  
She got up and ran, out of her room, through the hallways and into the medical wing. She came to  
  
a halt in front of the door leading to Heero's room. Slowly she placed a hand on the knob. She didn't  
  
dare turn it. She was afraid of what she mind find, of her hopes being crushed. Carefully she turned  
  
the doorknob and opened the door. The familiar beeping of the heart monitor reached her ear, but there  
  
was a sound missing.  
  
She walked up to the bed and saw what it was. Heero's face was bare. He was breathing on his own.  
  
Relief weakened her knees and she quickly sat down. Heero was healing. He was getting better. She curled  
  
up into the chair and tried to hide her bare toes in her pyjama trousers. As she looked at Heero's freed  
  
face she fell asleep.  
  
A small sound dragged her out of a very pleasant dream in which she had gone shopping for baby-  
  
clothes with Hilde. She looked around and gasped. In the vague light of the room she saw a shadowy form  
  
sitting upright on the bed.  
  
"Heero?"  
  
He didn't seem to hear her, but just as she was about to repeat herself, he turned his head.  
  
"Re..." There was a catch in his voice and she realized his throat must be dry.  
  
"Don't speak," she administered him. "I'll get you some water." She slipped out the room, crossed  
  
the hallway and filled a plastic cup with water at the tap on the opposite wall. She rushed back and was  
  
relieved to find Heero still sitting up. He reached for the cup but his hands didn't have the strength  
  
to grab hold it. With tears in her eyes, Relena placed the cup to his lips and let him drink. Luckily he  
  
didn't protest against being mothered like that. He nearly choked on the first few sips, but he quickly  
  
drained all the water.  
  
"Would you like some more?"  
  
He shook his head. "How..?" he whispered. "How did I..?"  
  
"There was an aggressive bacteria in the air of the lab you found. Your lungs were infected by it."  
  
He stared around him and frowned. "Where?"  
  
"The Winner company on colony D6, hospital wing." She smiled. Typically Heero. He just had to know  
  
where he was and what was going on. Even if he had been sick.  
  
"How long?"  
  
"You've been out for three weeks." She suddenly locked him in a tight embrace. "I was so scared,"  
  
she whispered into his unruly brown hair. "I thought you'd never wake up." Tears leaked down her cheeks as  
  
she felt Heero's arms around her. He softly patted her back, trying to comfort her. She didn't know how  
  
long she stood there, but suddenly he grew heavy and his arms fell down. She looked at him and smiled. He  
  
had fallen asleep again. Gently she lowered him back on his pillow and tucked the blankets to under his chin.  
  
As she looked at him she pulled the chair closer. She set down, her arms resting on the edge of the  
  
mattress and watched his chest rise and fall with the deep even breathing of a sleeping person. The expression  
  
on his face startled her a bit. He looked like a child dreaming a happy dream.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Quatre sighed as he saw Relena had once again traded her bed for the chair in Heero's room. He   
  
sympathized with her, but she couldn't expect herself to get a good night sleep while sitting in a chair.  
  
Heero stirred. Quatre blinked. Did he just see, what he thought he saw? He walked over to the  
  
other side of the bed and placed a hand on his friends shoulder. "Heero? Heero are you awake?"  
  
Heero tossed his head a bit, then suddenly whispered, "Yes."  
  
Quatre couldn't believe it. "Open your eyes then. I want to see you awake."  
  
Heero opened his eyes and focused on Quatre with a look that said, 'Okay, here I am. Happy?' He  
  
then closed them again, wearily.  
  
Quatre smiled. Heero was definitely becoming his old self again. He just hoped it would be soon.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"Relena, I'm begging you, please come back. I'm drowning in this work. You said yourself Heero's  
  
was getting better again. I'm sure he can do that without you there." Zechs prayed his sister would come  
  
home. He was swarmed in paperwork. It proved he just wasn't cut out for this kind of work.  
  
On screen Relena sighed. "Alright. I'll be back tomorrow. Can you hold on for that long?"  
  
"Thank you! I honestly don't know how you do this work."  
  
"I manage."  
  
When the connection was terminated, Zechs leaned back in his chair. He felt ashamed he had to drag  
  
Relena away from Heero, but the work was just piling up. He couldn't cope with it anymore. If he waited  
  
until Heero had completely healed, Relena would be covered in paperwork. That was probably worse than  
  
dragging her away now.  
  
"I hope she won't get angry," Lu's voice sounded behind him.  
  
"So do I. I don't think I could handle her then. But she didn't sound too mad, just resigned."  
  
Lu softly pulled his hair. "I'm glad Heero is getting better. That was a really close one. I guess  
  
the only time he got closer to death was when he self-detonated his Gundam in his first fight with you in  
  
the Tallgeese."  
  
"That boy showed an amazing amount of loyalty and dedication that day. I can still hardly believe  
  
he did that, let alone that he survived. I heard from Trowa he was out for a month."  
  
"How long do you think it will take him to get up again, now?"  
  
Zechs laughed. "Probably far too soon in the doctors's eyes. I hope Quatre can keep him out of  
  
trouble."  
  
Lu pulled his hair again. "Quatre doesn't have a firm enough hand to handle a stubborn fool like  
  
Heero." Again a tug at his hair.  
  
"Will you stop that?" he asked heatedly. "Or is that just you not so subtly telling me you want me  
  
to get a haircut?"  
  
She grinned in his hair. "Nah, if you get a haircut I won't be able to pull it anymore. I like it  
  
just the way it is."  
  
"If you don't want me to cut my hair, then don't pull it."  
  
She yanked even harder.  
  
"Ouch! Stop it! Stop it, I say! Don't I have any authority over my wife?" he sighed exasperated as  
  
his rebellious wife gave another tug.  
  
"No," she whispered slyly in his ear.  
  
He suddenly whirled around and pulled her on his lap, smothering her protests under a long kiss. 


	6. Chapter 5

AN Finally! The story begins. Wufei has found something. And he needs help with solving the puzzle.  
  
You know, I realized this fic is also a lot about people's character, perhaps more so than an   
  
exciting plot. Should I change the genre? Perhaps I will. For now, enjoy the story. It's speeding up  
  
a little.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Under Pressure  
  
Chapter 5  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Quatre!" The yell echoed through the hospital corridor. The blond owner of that name smiled  
  
as he walked to where the shouting originated from. When he stepped through the door, he saw an  
  
extraordinary irritated Heero sitting up on his bed with when leg dangling down to the ground.  
  
Obviously he had been trying to get up again, and obviously, judging by the nurses and doctors  
  
surrounding his bed, he had been stopped, again.  
  
"Quatre, will you please tell your staff that I am feeling perfectly alright and that I am  
  
perfectly able to walk out of this hospital without assistance."  
  
"Oh, just let them, Heero. Besides, you are my employer as well, therefor I am responsible for  
  
your welfare, and if the doctor hasn't discharged you yet, I can't live with my conscience to let you  
  
go." Quatre smiled sweetly, knowing full well, he was driving his friend very close to the edge with  
  
his answer.  
  
"Fine," came the grunted reply. "I quit. Happy, now? Now, you're no longer 'responsible for my  
  
welfare' and you can let me go."  
  
Quatre shook his head. "No, I am not letting you get out of here until the doctor says it's okay.  
  
Be patient, Heero. Just wait for the result on the blood test. It won't be more than a day or two."  
  
Heero shot his host a glare that said 'it had better not be more or else you're in deep trouble',  
  
but thankfully he gave up his resistance and crawled back in bed.  
  
"Relena's gone back home."  
  
Quatre didn't quite get the answer he had expected. All he got was a raised eyebrow, accompanied  
  
by a slight "Oh?"  
  
When the room was emptied, besides the two friends, the patient said casually, "Why?"  
  
Quatre smiled. "Apparently Zechs couldn't cope with the amount of work Relena dumped on him,  
  
and I understand he didn't have to take over all of her duties."  
  
"She takes on too much," came the ruff reply. Quatre frowned. Had he actually heard concern in  
  
that stony voice? Well, he didn't really understand the nature of the relationship between the two. Duo  
  
kept insisting they were in love, but every time he brought that up, Hilde chucked something at his head.  
  
Trowa said that deep down they were the same, although he admitted he didn't really know in what way.  
  
Wufei just shrugged and didn't think anything about the matter.  
  
Quatre didn't know what to think. The two obviously felt something for each other, because Heero  
  
kept heading straight for danger if Relena was in it and Relena went out of her way to keep Heero out of  
  
danger. It was quite an interesting dance to watch, because it always resulted with the both of them in  
  
deadly peril and somehow they always managed to get out of it, Relena unscathed and Heero on the verge  
  
of death. And then Relena would start blaming herself for Heero's hurtings.  
  
Quatre shook his head, which caused Heero to cock an eyebrow. "You don't agree?"  
  
Quatre frowned and racked his brains, searching for what Heero meant. "Yes, I do," he said finally.  
  
"But she is the only one capable of doing that kind of work."  
  
Heero snorted. "There are more politicians in the world."  
  
"But none of them is trusted the way Relena is. Both the Earth and the colonies trust her more than  
  
anyone else. It's very likely she will become head of the Senate. That is, if she manages to unite Earth and  
  
Space and they send enough representatives to fill it."  
  
Heero looked at his friend with a puzzled expression on his face. "What do you mean? Not everyone  
  
wants to join the Covenant?"  
  
"No, many nations and colonies distrust another organization promoting peace for everyone. And given  
  
the past experiences with such governments, who can blame them?"  
  
"Relena is different."  
  
Quatre looked up at those words. They were spoken in the same gruff way, Heero always spoke, but they  
  
were stated as a fact that should be universally acknowledged. "I know that, but Relena is just one woman. One  
  
person amongst so many. How much difference can she make?"  
  
"It's wrong to distrust Relena!" The fierceness in his voice, seemed to even surprise Heero himself.  
  
"Hasn't she proven by now, that she is different from people like Treize and Dekim Barton? Wouldn't that also  
  
mean, that the Covenant she is founding, is different from both the former Alliance and Romafeller?"  
  
"You know that, and I know that, but there are people who have been betrayed too many times to still be  
  
able to trust promises of a future where Earth and space can coexist in peace." Quatre run a hand through his  
  
hair. He didn't really know how to put this. He trusted Relena as much as Heero did, as well as the other former  
  
Gundam pilots and a handful of other people who knew Relena and had seen how she handled herself in different  
  
situations, but there were so many people who only knew her from television and newspapers. How could they be  
  
persuaded that the image Relena displayed, wasn't an image but her true self. Relena didn't play an act in order  
  
to gain people's trust. She believed in the truth of things and she believed in honesty. That was probably why  
  
eventually even Wufei had begun to trust her. The Chinese man had been very doubtful of er in the beginning,  
  
but after a while he had seen she was true to her word. If only more came to the same realization. That would  
  
make the woman's work so much easier.  
  
"I think you should rest and regain your strength."  
  
That earned him a snort. "How can I regain my strength by lying in bed all day?"  
  
"Just... do what the doctor tells you, okay? I don't want anymore complaints about your stubbornness.  
  
Would you like anything to read so you don't get bored?"  
  
"Can you get me some newspapers?" Heero asked.  
  
"Sure. I have work to do now, but I'll have someone bring the over."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Quatre left his friend's room with a wave of his hand. Finally, Heero seemed to have come to his senses.  
  
He just hoped things would remain that way. He didn't feel like chasing his friend through half the building, again.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Relena sighed as she turned her vid-phone off. Another nation had declined her offer. This was getting  
  
tiresome. She was just about ready to give up hope. Two weeks ago she had resumed to her duties and realized  
  
she had been away far too long. Dorothy had kept her informed about Heero's condition which improved rapidly  
  
over the past fourteen days. Apparently he was driving the whole medical staff mad with his determination to  
  
get out of bed before he was healed. She was disappointed he hadn't called himself, though. She would very much  
  
like to talk to him, hear his voice, so she could see for herself he was alright again.  
  
She really missed him. Even though she had worried herself sick sitting by his bed, she missed his  
  
presence. Sometimes she would wake up during the night and had already crawled out of bed to sneak to his room  
  
again, until she realized she was home again, far from Heero. She just hoped he would get better soon.  
  
"Miss Relena, you have a visitor."  
  
Relena pushed the appropriate button on her desk and answered her secretary. "Let them in, Anna."  
  
"Are you sure, Miss? He looks a bit... I don't know... Wild, I suppose the word is."  
  
Another voice cut in. "Just open the door, will you, woman? She already approved of my admittance."  
  
Relena immediately recognized the slightly haughty and harsh voice and smiled surprised. What would Wufei  
  
be doing here? Nobody had seen him in a long time, not even Sally? So why would he visit her, Relena, first,  
  
instead of his closest friend? "Just let him in, Anna," she said, trying to sound comforting and apologetic at  
  
the same time.  
  
Two seconds later the door opened and a nervous Anna let the former pilot of Gundam 05 in. In one look  
  
Relena saw why Anna had called him wild. Wufei was a mess. His clothes, always so impossible white, no matter  
  
in what situation he got, were now stained with grass and dirt, and here and there a tear revealed his bare  
  
skin. His otherwise tightly bound hair was now slightly ruffled and his face was smudged with mud and something  
  
that looked very much like soot. His eyes were the same though, contemptuous of what he didn't like to see and  
  
betraying a begrudged respect towards the overworked woman behind the large oak desk.  
  
"Wufei, where have you been? We haven't heard from you in a long time," Relena said, while standing up  
  
to welcome her unexpected guest.  
  
"I have been busy," he answered curtly. "So have you, I heard."  
  
She smiled tiredly. "Yes, but it's worth it."  
  
"Is it?" He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Is it worth working yourself to death, while no-one appreciates  
  
what you're doing?"  
  
She grinned. "Am I not just like you were, then? Am I not working for the benefit of people who do not  
  
see that?"  
  
He remained silent for a while. Then he said, "I see what you mean." He gave her one of his rare smiles.  
  
"Now, what can I help you with." Relena pointed to the chair in front of her desk, indicating she was  
  
ready to get down to whatever business was troubling Wufei. If anything could trouble the Chinese man, that was.  
  
Wufei sat down in the appointed chair and crossed his legs. "I have been doing some freelance investigation,  
  
of late. Ever since I left the Preventers, actually. About a month ago I came across something very interesting in  
  
the western parts of Tibet, near the former border."  
  
Relena frowned in surprise. If he had been that far away, why hadn't he gone somewhere else, closer to  
  
where he was, to contact someone closer. Why had he come al the way to the former Cinq kingdom to report?  
  
"I found an abandoned base of some sorts. It was heavily guarded and it took me some time to penetrate the  
  
defense lines. I don't understand why they were still active, because all they were guarding was an abandoned base,  
  
but that doesn't matter. From what I could gather from the remnants of left records, the group that housed there  
  
wasn't, or isn't, too friendly. Some data was encrypted and I didn't have the proper equipment to crack the code."  
  
"Then why did you come all the way out here? It's a long journey from Tibet to Cinq."  
  
"I know that," he grunted. "But someone saw me when I climbed from the entrance and started shooting at me.  
  
That convinced me the data on the discs I gathered, was vital of some sort. I didn't want to risk them bringing them  
  
to a public airport."  
  
And so you walked about a thousand miles to bring them here. She didn't say that out loud though. That would  
  
only provoke him. "So, what do you want to do now?"  
  
He frowned thoughtfully. "I wanted to contact one of the other pilots to help my decrypt them. Do you know  
  
who I can ask?"  
  
Relena bit her lip in thought. She couldn't drag Duo away from his pregnant fiancée. Trowa was becoming more  
  
and more the spill of the circus he worked in. And asking Quatre was completely impossible. He was as busy as she was.  
  
Heero. He was the only one not tied to anyone or anything. He could help.  
  
"Heero," she said. "He can help. If he is healed."  
  
"Healed? What did he get himself into this time?"  
  
She shrugged. "The usual. Finds a hidden lab from the stone age, attracts a deadly bacteria that begins to  
  
eat his lungs and he nearly dies from it."  
  
"You're saying he got sick?" Disbelief reigned in his voice.  
  
"Yeah. Strange, isn't it? I'll contact Quatre straight away and ask if Heero is allowed to go yet. Why don't  
  
you freshen up? I'll have a room made ready for you."  
  
Wufei nodded in agreement and stood up. Relena pressed the button to contact her secretary and told her of  
  
their new guest. Then, after Wufei had left, she turned to her vid-phone and awaited the connection with the Winner  
  
company. A few moments later, she had a secretary on screen.  
  
"Winner Inc, how may I help you?"  
  
"I am Relena Darlian. I would like to talk to Mr. Winner, please."  
  
"Of course, minister Darlian. Please hold."  
  
The screen of her vid-phone blinked to the logo of the Winner company. Then Quatre's face showed.  
  
"Hello, Relena. Nice speaking to you. How are you?"  
  
"Busy, as usual."  
  
The blond man rolled his eyes. "Tell me about it. What can I help you with?"  
  
"Well," she began, "I just received an unexpected quest. Wufei showed up."  
  
"He did? Where has he been."  
  
She shrugged. "Apparently, in Tibet. He found something there and he wants Heero's help with it."  
  
"Why Heero?"  
  
"Because I told him the other pilots were to busy."  
  
He frowned. "Even Duo?"  
  
Relena laughed. "Obviously you haven't been in touch with Duo, of late."  
  
"No, I haven't." The man looked slightly embarrassed.  
  
"Don't worry. Hilde is a good friend of mine. She had some good news to tell me, about a month ago. Duo  
  
proposed and Hilde is pregnant."  
  
"What?!"  
  
Relena brought her hands to her ears. That had been very loud.  
  
"But that is fantastic! Why didn't I hear from it sooner?"  
  
"Well, the first three months of a pregnancy are very unstable. A lot can go wrong in that time. And it  
  
will take some time before they can start planning a wedding. Anyway, can you send Heero to Cinq? Is it okay if  
  
he is dismissed from the hospital."  
  
Quatre facial expression changed. The best way it could be described was timid. "Frankly, I'll be glad  
  
to let him go. He has been nagging me to release him for the past two weeks. Any longer and I would have gone  
  
insane. It would be good for him to have something to do. Just make sure it isn't to strenuous. He's not back  
  
at full strength yet."  
  
"That's okay. I'll look out for him. Thanks a lot Quatre." She stopped for a moment. "Quatre, what time  
  
is it on your colony?"  
  
"About three thirty a.m. Why?"  
  
"Oh, I am so sorry. I hate it when people call me when I am sleeping, because it happens to be day where  
  
they live, and here I am, depriving you of your sleep. Just go back to bed and send Heero in the morning, okay?"  
  
"Sure, Relena. And don't worry about it. I had a late night meeting, so I was still up. I'll talk to you  
  
later. Say hi to Wufei for me, will you?"  
  
"I will. Good night, Quatre."  
  
"Bye," came his sleepy reply. The screen went blank.  
  
Oh, she could just hit herself. She always got so angry when people called her in the middle of the night,  
  
presuming she was awake anytime they wanted to talk to her and now she had done the same. Quatre was just to kind.  
  
If anyone had called her at 3:30 a.m. she would have gone ballistic. She sighed. Oh well, there was nothing to be  
  
done about it now. She just hoped he wasn't really mad. No, that wasn't Quatre. She had never seen him mad. She  
  
could hardly believe the stories from Trowa and Heero, the few she had heard, of Quatre when he had first appeared  
  
with Wing Zero. Apparently he had been maddened with grief over the death of his father, who had been as peace  
  
loving as the old king Peacecraft. Quatre had nearly killed Trowa then and had blamed himself horribly for it.  
  
Suddenly she smiled. She would see Heero again. He would be coming here to stay. Happily she sat herself  
  
to work again, humming softly.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Well, that's it for now. Really long scene with Relena, eh? Oh, and I forgot to ask the previous few chapters, but  
  
please review? I know this isn't the greatest of stories, I'm the first to admit it, but some feeback would be nice.  
  
Just so that I know someone is reading it. That's all I ask. Please? 


	7. Chapter 6

AN I changed the summary because this fic is taking some really weird twists and turns. It isn't like  
  
I wanted it to be, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's rubbish. Though I'm not so sure this story  
  
isn't. Yet I got two reviews (last time I checked) Woohoo! Go me! I don't know whether they're deserved,  
  
but I think it's great/cool/wonderful/inspiring. You pick! Love getting reviews!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Under Pressure  
  
Chapter 6  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Heero leaned back in his chair in the shuttle Quatre had lend him. Earth looked as beautiful as  
  
ever from the port he was looking out of. But every time he looked at it another image moved over it.  
  
Honey blond hair played around a face he was very familiar with. Big blue eyes stared into his own.  
  
The kindness that they held, was breathtaking. Even Quatre couldn't do what Relena could. Those  
  
amazing blue eyes said it all. They seemed to beckon him. As much as he hated to admit it, he couldn't  
  
wait until he had landed. He knew she would be waiting for him. Maybe not on the landing track, but in  
  
her thoughts she would be anticipating his arrival.  
  
He still couldn't believe how much she had changed him. She had given him something of so much  
  
value, he could never repay her. She had taught him that every life held value, even his own. She had  
  
been the reason he had sworn to survive blowing up that fragment of Libra that had been plummeting down  
  
to Earth. She had made him promise he would never kill again. And he meant to keep that. So far she had  
  
made that possible for him. She had kept the world at peace. Any dispute would now be settled without  
  
bloodshed.  
  
His chest tightened at the emotions flowing through him. He owed her so much. And he had no chance  
  
of repaying her. Because nothing he could do, could compare to what she had done.  
  
The light in front of the shuttle lit up, indicating they would be entering the atmosphere soon.  
  
Heero obediently buckled his seatbelt. He didn't feel much like being tossed around like a sack. A few  
  
moments later the shuttle began to shake because of the turbulence. The green and blue planet took up  
  
most of his view now. Soon he would be inside the atmosphere. The stars would be gone. Instead a clear  
  
blue sky would be smiling down at him. He looked forward to it. It had been too long since he had been  
  
on Earth.  
  
Slowly the ground approached him. Like an eager child he came very close to pressing his nose to  
  
the window to look at the greenery stretched out beneath him. He looked along the nose of the shuttle and  
  
saw they were nearing the palace of the former Cinq kingdom. Smiling he settled back in his chair.  
  
Finally. Why did it feel like coming home?  
  
Relena looked impatiently at her watch. Heero should have landed about fifteen minutes ago and she  
  
was still on the line with representative Forster of the American continent. That man could blab on for ages.  
  
She wanted to see Heero!  
  
"And that was all, minister Darlian." 'Oh, thank god!' "I am looking forward to seeing you at the  
  
next meeting, scheduled for March 5th. Until then."  
  
"Yes, goodbye, representative Forster." The line was terminated.  
  
Relena sighed in relief. Then she bolted from her chair. She opened her door, startling Anna.  
  
"Has Heero Yuy arrived yet?" she asked, desperately masking her impatience.  
  
"I believe he has. Pagan showed to the computer research room you let installed."  
  
Relena nodded her thanks. "I'll go and welcome him then." She walked out to the hallway and turned  
  
left. The room Anna had been referring to was on a floor higher then this one. Relena decided to take the  
  
stairs, slowly, to clear her head. She strolled along the hallway on the third floor and came to a halt in  
  
front of a nondescript door. This was the one. She knocked softly and immediately entered.  
  
The room was a mess. Prints with undecipherable writings were littered all over the floor and the  
  
desks. Heero and Wufei were each bent over a computer screen, madly typing instructions.  
  
Well, what had she expected? Two old friends happily chatting away about what they had done for the  
  
past five years, while pleasantly sipping their tea? The were Gundam pilots. Not girls.   
  
But they had slacked. They hadn't heard her come in. For a few moments she just stood at the entrance,  
  
watching the two young men work.  
  
Wufei suddenly straightened. "Hey, Heero, I think I found somethi..." He turned around and froze  
  
when his eyes fell on Relena. "Why didn't we hear you come in?"  
  
Heero whipped his head around. His eyes widened when he saw her. "Since when have you become an  
  
expert at sneaking up on people?"  
  
Relena smiled. "Oh well, I guess you're just slacking."  
  
"We are not," they said in unison and with the same grumpy tone.  
  
"What did you find?" she asked Wufei, distracting the both of them from her. She was beginning to  
  
feel uncomfortable under their stares.  
  
"Two different logs," came the immediate reply. "Seems like the base has been reused." Then he lodged  
  
into a long talk about what the two might entail. It looked like the base had been a secret military laboratory,  
  
where weapons were devised. It had been abandoned. All evidence had been taken away, with the exception of the  
  
remaining logs. And those were incomplete. They didn't matter anyway. They dated from before the days of the  
  
Earth Sphere Alliance. The other logs and documents were more interesting. They began somewhere halfway 196 AC  
  
and ended December 199 AC. This was very recent. Now all they had to do was decrypt it.  
  
"Like that is easy," Heero grumbled. "These codes are unlike any I've ever seen. This will take at least  
  
a week.."  
  
At that moment Relena pager decided to show it still existed. She looked at the tiny screen and saw she  
  
had a call from the African delegate. Well, time to leave the two of them to themselves. She was only disturbing  
  
them anyway. She made her goodbyes and hurried back to her office.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Heero yawned and stretched, still seated in his chair. He glanced at his watch. It was ten o'clock in  
  
the evening. No wonder he was hungry.  
  
"Hey, how about we call it a day? I could use a bite to eat," he said to his silent friend.  
  
"Okay, there no use staring at a screen, watching how slowly the decrypting progresses."  
  
The two stood up and exited the room. They headed towards the kitchen where they hoped they could still  
  
catch a late dinner.  
  
In the kitchen they found no-one, but they could fend for themselves. In twenty minutes they had a meal  
  
ready to be served. Silently they sat down at the table, spooning their food into their mouths.  
  
It remained quiet for a few minutes. Then the door creaked open. A very tired looking Relena entered.  
  
"Did you eat yet?" Heero asked without greeting.  
  
Shaking her head in answer, the woman set down at the table.  
  
Heero just got up, grabbed a plate and loaded it. He received a thankful look, before sitting down again.  
  
For some time the only sound heard was the tinkling of cutlery against china. Then Wufei spoke up. "Had  
  
a late meeting?" The question was obviously directed at Relena.  
  
"Conference call," she answered thickly around her spoon. "Whoever invented that... well... he shouldn't  
  
have. Four hours, twelve people. I'm beat."  
  
Silence reigned again.  
  
"So how did you two do?" asked Relena.  
  
"We're cracking it," Heero shrugged. "Now all we can do is wait."  
  
"I hope something useful comes out. I don't want to find I have wasted my time."  
  
"Why would something useless be so heavily guarded?" asked Heero.  
  
"I don't know," retorted Wufei. "Takes a fool to know one."  
  
After that, nothing was said until they had finished their plates. They quickly washed what they had used  
  
and placed it back in the cupboards.  
  
"I'm going for a walk," Relena said and left.  
  
"I'm taking a shower." Wufei turned the other way.  
  
Heero sighed. Well, he might as well exercise a little. He could use it. His condition had worsened  
  
considerably because of his illness. Snatching his coat from the coatrack in the entrance hall, he walked outdoors  
  
and started lapping the palace grounds. It was still quite chilly, even on these parts of the Earth. After all, it  
  
was only February. The sun had vanished some time ago, but the western horizon still glowed purple. This far from  
  
cities the stars were very bright and even the galaxy began showing, a huge belt of stars that crossed the sky.  
  
About an hour and three laps later - the palace grounds were larger than he had thought -, he stopped to  
  
catch his breath. He really was out of shape. An hour was training enough for now. He also needed his rest. Slowly  
  
he began walking back towards the darkened mansion, cooling down from his exercise. Not bothering to find the gate,  
  
he hopped over the fence and crossed the garden. In the light of the waning moon he saw someone sitting at a picnic  
  
table.  
  
It was Relena. The wind played softly with her hair and the moonlight made it sparkle silver. He couldn't  
  
see her face so he silently walked around. Then he smiled. She was sleeping. Apparently she was so worn out from  
  
the day she hadn't made it far from the house. He could imagine what she had done. She had probably walked for a  
  
few minutes and then decided it would be alright to sit down for a while. He expected she fell asleep the moment  
  
she sat at the table.  
  
He gently pushed her bangs out of her lovely face. Sleep had smoothed the worry creases that seemed to  
  
appear on her face all too often, off late. Her cheek felt cold. Carefully, so as not to wake her, he lifted her  
  
up in his arms and was amazed at how light she weighed. It was like carrying a feather. He slowly made his way up  
  
to the palace. Opening the door with no free hands proved a little difficult, but he managed. Now he had to remember  
  
where her room was.  
  
Still wearing his coat he made his way to the elevator. If he remembered correctly, her room was on the same  
  
floor as her office, which was the second floor. He pushed the right button and waited for the elevator doors to open  
  
again. He carried the sleeping vice foreign minister into the hallway, searching for the door for her bedroom. He hoped  
  
it was the one past her office.  
  
It was not. It was the living room leading to her bedroom. 'Figures.' He gently placed her on the bed, forcing  
  
her to sit upright. Like a little child, her eyes barely open, she obeyed. He took of her coat and jacket. The long  
  
sleeved shirt she would have to keep on. This was as far as decency allowed. He knelt down and took of her shoes and  
  
socks. His throat tightened strangely when his hands touched her bare skin. He quickly stood up, just in time to catch  
  
her from falling backwards. As tender as he could he laid her on the bed and tucked her in.  
  
And all that time she had not awakened. She really had to be beat. He shook his head. She really worked too hard.  
  
Silently he walked out of the room, looking back at the door. The faint light in the room played across her features and  
  
lit up her honey blond hair. She looked so peaceful now. He hoped she got a good night sleep.  
  
He noiselessly closed the door behind and suddenly had to lean against it with shaking knees. How come he  
  
suddenly felt so exhausted? Like he had run three times around the world, instead of just around the palace. Or  
  
was there another reason why his heart beat so rapidly? He closed his eyes and rested his head against the doorframe.  
  
He didn't understand himself anymore. Relena confused him. The whole world confused him. Was this an aftereffect of  
  
his illness? Had that bacteria somehow affected his brain, changed him?  
  
Shaking his head he walked off towards the door of her suite. Two more steps and he stood out in the hallway.  
  
His hand lingered on the doorknob, hesitant to close the door behind him. He felt an unexplainable urge to go back  
  
inside, to be with Relena. He didn't understand. It felt a bit the same as when he wanted to protect her, like when  
  
Peacemillion rammed into Libra. Protecting her then had been easy. All he had to do was make sure no debris fell on  
  
her. But now, there was nothing threatening her, was there? All she had was piles and piles of work waiting for her  
  
in the morning.  
  
He firmly closed the door behind him. He was acting foolishly. Angrily he ran a hand through his hair and made  
  
his way to his own room, one floor up. He took a quick shower and dressed for the night. Even though he was tired, he  
  
lay wide awake, staring up at the ceiling, trying to understand his emotions.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Wufei tossed and turned in his bed, but sleep wouldn't come. Giving up he sat upright, glowering at the wall, as  
  
if it was to blame for his lack of sleep. Something that had been bothering him for the past three years kept roaming  
  
around in his thoughts, refusing to leave him alone. The reason he had left the Preventers.  
  
It had begun so meaningless. Sally had teased him again about something. He couldn't even remember what it had been.  
  
Then Lady Une had demanded the report he wasn't supposed to hand in until the end of the day, putting immense stress on him.  
  
An hour later he finished with it. He let a clerk run to the lady's office with it. Then Sally came to ask him about the  
  
progress on his latest assignment.  
  
"I'm working on it," he muttered angrily. "What do you think I am, a miracle maker?"  
  
"No," Sally laughed, "just a guy who is late with his work."  
  
"I am not late," he bit. "Lady Une wanted a report done that I had scheduled for later today."  
  
For some reason he had been more irritated than usual. Maybe it was something Sally had said, or maybe something he  
  
had to do for work. But halfway the afternoon you could do so much as drop a pin and you would receive a serious scolding  
  
from the angered young man.  
  
"Hey, lighten up," Sally said, as she dropped by with a few files. "You look like you got something really smelly  
  
under your nose. Did you forget to wash this morning?"  
  
He glowered at her. "I'm perfectly fine."  
  
She frowned at him. "Something is bothering you. You've been like that for days."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Grumpier than usual."  
  
He snorted in reply. He didn't like the direction this conversation was going. People had to but out of his personal  
  
business. Even if those people were that personal business, they had no right to badger him. He couldn't really scold at Sally  
  
though. Something held him back.  
  
"I have some copies to make," he made an excuse to get out of his suddenly cramped feeling office. But at the door  
  
she had suddenly grabbed his arm, blue eyes looking at him in earnest.  
  
"Whatever it is, you can always come to me, okay?"  
  
He started to shake her off, but was again held back by something he didn't know. "There's nothing wrong," he grunted  
  
instead. "Anyway, you wouldn't be able to help."  
  
"So there is something!"  
  
He nearly bit his tongue out of frustration. He shouldn't have said that. "Forget it." He tried to get away again, but  
  
this time she blocked the door.  
  
"I want to know, Wufei. What is wrong with you?"  
  
A shiver ran down his spine when she said his name. 'You're what's wrong!' he wanted to shout. 'Do you have any idea  
  
what you're doing me, how you're tormenting me?' He didn't, though. He just stared at her, blank faced.  
  
"Please, tell me?"  
  
How could he? How could he say he was in love with a woman older than him? She would laugh at him, if she didn't just  
  
slam the door she was guarding into his face. He couldn't work with her anymore. It was too confining. He had to get away from  
  
her. He had to get over this ridiculous infatuation with her. It was only clouding his judgment and interfering with his work.  
  
He was slacking and he knew. He hated it.  
  
"I can't," he forced.  
  
She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Is it that embarrassing?"  
  
He shook his head in despair. "I just can't," he whispered.  
  
For a few moments they stood there silently. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope he had been  
  
carrying around for weeks. "This is my resignation form. Please, hand it to Colonel Une, when you see her."  
  
Sally's eyes had widened at his words. "Resignation?" she whispered in disbelief. "But why?"  
  
His stomach tightened. This would be the last time he'd see her. He planned on getting away from here as fast as he  
  
could. So he answered in the only way he could think of. He leaned towards he to kiss her. As soon as their lips met, he  
  
realized it had been a mistake. Her mouth opened willingly and he was dragged away on a wave of love and passion. When he  
  
let her go he refused to look in her eyes. He just pressed the lettre in her hands and ran out the door, leaving her standing  
  
very much at a loss. As soon as he got home he packed the necessary things and left.  
  
Wufei hid his head in his hands and, like he had done so many nights in the three years after that fateful day, he  
  
cried salty tears of sorrow.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AN Sorry about making Wufei seem so soft. But I really like that last scene. I like Wufei/Sally pairing. I think this fic is  
  
becoming more and more a psychological drama. But the action is on its way, I promise. Just a chapter or two, three I think.  
  
Well, until next time. Please review? ^_^ 


	8. Chapter 7

AN And here is the next chapter. Still no real action, but we're really getting there. Please be patient.  
  
Chapter 7 already. And still the story is going slow. sigh So without further ado...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Under Pressure  
  
Chapter 7  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Lu ran a hand through her hair. Zechs still felt sorry for dragging Relena away, even though his  
  
sister had already told him not to worry about it. She had no idea how she could relieve the guilt her  
  
husband was feeling. Heero had healed, according to Quatre and Relena had simply taken on her duties  
  
again. Zechs was just being a bull, as usual. Should she tell him Heero and Wufei were working on  
  
something inside the Cinq palace? It could ease him up. On the other hand, it could also arouse his  
  
paranoia.  
  
This was highly frustrating. Next time she contacted Relena, she would ask her little sister-in-  
  
law how to handle that stupid brother of hers.  
  
Sighing Lu stood and started to pace up and down the room. She was about to turn for the twentieth  
  
time, when the door opened and an agitated Zechs entered.  
  
"What is it?" she asked.  
  
"I just got a call, from Colonel Une. The Preventers stumbled across a disturbing signal, somewhere  
  
in Canada. She asked me to join Commander Po there. Do you want to come?"  
  
Lu thought it over for a bit. She didn't like being separated from her husband, but... "Is it a  
  
cut-off-from-the-world kind of mission?"  
  
Zechs nodded. "Communication is limited to daily briefings with Preventer headquarters."  
  
That would mean she had to leave Relena alone. Besides, there was still some work to be done here.  
  
"Then I'm not going."  
  
"Okay." He looked a bit disappointed at her words, but he didn't raise any protests. "Next time  
  
you speak to Relena, give her my love. And you're not to tell anyone about this."  
  
"I know. I'm not really a rookie in such matters, you know," she joked. "What is it about, anyway?"  
  
He frowned. "They don't know. But Une doesn't trust it. And neither does Sally."  
  
She was about to ask what Wufei thought of the matter, until she remembered that the man had quit  
  
the Preventers three years ago. The few times she had spoken with Sally, she felt the woman missed him.  
  
She didn't want to talk about it, though. Lu had left it at that.  
  
"When do you leave?"  
  
"Tomorrow."  
  
A sneaky smile grew on her face. "Well, what do you suppose we do in our last night together?"  
  
Zechs answered her smile. "I don't know. Got any ideas?"  
  
"Some," she murmured, as she put her arms around his neck.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"I'm glad you could make it, Colonel," Sally pleasant voice reached his ear over the dim the  
  
helicopter was still making.  
  
"Me too. So, what's the status?"  
  
"We're not sure, sir. So far, we have managed to keep our presence secret, but I don't know how  
  
long we can keep it that way. We don't have the men, nor the equipment to spy on them, so we're pretty  
  
much stuck her." She didn't say it out loud, but what they actually needed was a Gundam pilot. But Wufei  
  
was gone and they couldn't drag the other away from their daily business.  
  
Zechs grimaced, while they began walking to the barn, where Sally team was stationed. He didn't  
  
have the proper experience either. Where did that idiot Wufei go? And why did he leave in the first place?  
  
Resigning from the Preventers like that had been a pretty rash act, for him. "So there's nothing we can do?"  
  
"That's pretty much it, yes, sir. All we know, is that they, whoever they are, mean business. Their  
  
arsenal, from what we could gather, is pretty impressive. But their security is too tight to penetrate."  
  
"Great, so we're stuck," he grunted.  
  
"That's one way of putting it. I'd like to say, that at the moment, we cannot do anything."  
  
"Always the optimistic, aren't you, Sally."  
  
"I do my best, sir," she grinned.  
  
Inside the barn was the familiar hustle and bustle of a temporarily base. Zechs looked around and  
  
felt at home. This was something he knew, something he could handle. The double doors, through which they  
  
had entered, gave way to a makeshift computer lab. Equipment was spread over tables and wires crisscrossed  
  
the floor of the barn, connecting the computers and machinery. People, all in Preventer uniforms, were  
  
intent on the screens or papers that printers spewed. They didn't bother to look up as the two people entered.  
  
They knew their superior preferred they kept to their work, instead of interrupting themselves to pay her the  
  
proper respect. At the far and of the barn, sleeping quarters were set up, with bunks and chests neatly placed  
  
in rows. Some were occupied. People who would be working night shifts. They were trained to sleep whenever  
  
they had the chance, no matter how many racket was made around them.  
  
Preventers glanced at them as they walked past. The long blond hair marked the man in their  
  
Commander's company as Zechs Marquise, otherwise known as Milliardo Peacecraft. They nodded in silent  
  
respect to the brother of vice foreign minister Darlian. Even though that minister had given up on the  
  
name Peacecraft, she had not denied the bloodbond with the former Lightning Count. She seemed to take  
  
comfort in a living relative and he was glad for it.  
  
"We have some doubtful readings by satellite," broke Sally's voice through his musings. "Maybe you  
  
can make something of them." She looked at him expectantly, as he gazed at the screen.  
  
He shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I've never seen anything like it."  
  
She sighed. "Oh, well, it was worth a good try." Then she murmured under her breath so softly he  
  
could barely understand, "Where is Wufei when you need him?" She didn't sound angry, not even annoyed. He  
  
frowned, confused. She sounded sad, very sad. She must really miss him. He figured he had not been supposed  
  
to hear that, so he chose to ignore it.  
  
There was nothing to be done except continue with what Sally and her team already started with.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Wufei blinked in surprise as a whining sound brought him from his reverie. The computer screen flicked,  
  
telling him the decrypting was complete. Finally! They had been working on it for over a week, much longer than  
  
he had anticipated. His fingers rattles the keys. A few seconds later the readable logs were visible on the  
  
screen. A few more commands and the printer wrote everything they had on white sheets of paper, twofold.  
  
He handed one pack to Heero and began reading the other. Half of it was useless trash, shipment and  
  
transport logs. But a few pages caught his interest and he began studying them, while Heero still flicked  
  
through his pile.  
  
Wufei frowned and rubbed his nose. If this was true, than they could be in more trouble than they had  
  
bargained for. At least he hadn't struggled with that security line for nothing. The abandoned base he had found  
  
belonged to a nameless organization. Their primary objective seemed to be to find... Duke Dermail's hidden  
  
archives? Wufei cocked an eyebrow. Why didn't he know anything about those? Maybe that Catalonia woman knew  
  
something. He browsed on to find out what they planned on doing with them. Apparently they hoped to find  
  
something that could help achieve their ultimate goal: to overthrow 'Peacecraft's reign' and establish a  
  
new world order.  
  
He sighed. Couldn't those idiots come up with something else, something new? Like opening a fast food  
  
multinational, that would be interesting. Why did they always want to rule the world?  
  
"Looks like we got a new threat to peace on our hands. Want to warn the others?"  
  
Heero looked up at his friend's words. "I think we should get to know more of them."  
  
"And how do you propose we do that? The base I found was abandoned, remember? For all we know, they  
  
could have given up, already."  
  
Heero shook his head. "No, they moved."  
  
Wufei shot up. "Where to?"  
  
"Look at page fifteen."  
  
He flicked through the pages, searching for the right one. There it was. His eyes scanned the lines.  
  
Heero was right. The base had been evacuated due to the unbearable elements of nature and failing ceilings in  
  
several parts of the compound. The people had been moved by the order from headquarters, wherever that might  
  
be, to join a failing base in Canada.  
  
"So you're suggesting we should check that out first, before we warn the others?"  
  
Heero nodded. "What we have here is more than a year old. We should try and find something more recent."  
  
"So we're leaving for Canada," Wufei sighed. "I'll ask Relena to get us a plane."  
  
Heero only nodded in response.  
  
If his hair wasn't tied so tightly, Wufei would have run a hand through it. He didn't want to admit it,  
  
but the stony pilot was giving him the creeps. He recognized the look in Heero's eyes. It was the same as in his,  
  
except that it wasn't masked with despair, but with confusion. The guy was in love and he didn't even know it.  
  
It didn't take a genius to figure out the object of his affection. He was head over heels in love with Relena  
  
and if he didn't find out soon what his emotions meant, he wouldn't just hurt himself, but the girl as well.  
  
Wufei decided not to interfere with the matter. First off, that would be something Duo would de and he  
  
refused to do anything what that long-haired baka would do. Second, he was still confused and hurt by his own  
  
feelings, so how could he help anyone else? He took the stairs one floor down and walked in the anteroom of  
  
Relena's office. Her secretary, Anna he believed her name was, looked up.  
  
"I need to talk to Relena."  
  
"Just a moment," she said with a stony face. The woman didn't like him very much. Well, maybe he had  
  
been a bit rude when he had first showed up here, but she had wined so much about not wanting to let him in,  
  
that he had lost his patience and yelled at her.  
  
She directed her attention to the comm on her desk and pressed a button. "Mr. Chang is here to see you,  
  
minister."  
  
"Let him in," Relena distorted voice croaked through speaker.  
  
He was motioned towards the door. And so he walked up to it and pushed it open.  
  
"Wufei, how can I help you?" Relena smiled.  
  
"We're going to Canada. Can you get us a plane?"  
  
"Sure I can. May I ask why?" She invited him to sit down and he figured he owed her to tell her the whole  
  
of it so he sat.  
  
"From what we have of those records some sort of group lived in that base, that planned or is still planning  
  
to undermine the current authority. I suggest you tighten your security. You seem to be their target. The occupants  
  
from that base moved to Canada and we're gonna try to find out more about them."  
  
Relena nodded thoughtful. "Well, the fastest I can get you a plane that can carry you over such a distance,  
  
would be first thing in the morning. I guess you don't need a pilot, so I'll have to send them back in a different way."  
  
"Then we'll leave tomorrow morning."  
  
She seemed a bit sad at the prospect. "How vital is it for me to increase security?"  
  
He silently complimented her for keeping such a cool head. Even though she obviously didn't like them  
  
leaving, she didn't complain or refused to help them. She settled the matter and turned her attention to something  
  
else. "Frankly, I don't know. We don't know how active they are at the moment. It's more a precaution."  
  
"Okay, I'll see what I can do. Should I alert the Preventers?"  
  
Unbeknownst to the woman in front of him he winced at the word. "Not yet. They would send a whole team.  
  
Just Heero and me should be enough for now."  
  
"Very well," was all she answered with.  
  
There was nothing left to say so he stood. "I guess we better start packing. Thank you for your hospitality,"  
  
he said as kind as he could.  
  
"You're welcome. I'm not sure I'll be there in the morning. I have to leave at five a.m. for a meeting in  
  
India." She rolled her eyes in disgust. "I hate getting up so early."  
  
With a slight grin he left the office, but the glare Anna shot him wiped that of his face. His mood took a  
  
swing and he glared back. As he walked into the hallway he wondered how Heero was under all this. Wasn't he worried  
  
about Relena's safety? That sort of thing happened to come along with being in love, even if the emotion wasn't  
  
recognized as such.  
  
Wufei smirked. He wasn't going to spell it out for the man. He would have to figure it out on his own.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Heero sat on the edge of the balcony. When he had come here he had silently wondered how many rooms in this  
  
palace had a balcony. He had come to the conclusion it was probably easier to count the ones without. A dull grey  
  
sky stole away his vision on a beautiful sunset. It had rained a bit this afternoon, but now it was dry. The ground  
  
below him still glistened with raindrops and the stark tree branches tried to hold on to the liquid but lost to the  
  
small breeze, playing with the leafless twigs.  
  
The plane they had ordered was estimated to arrive at 2 a.m. but they had agreed to wait until morning to  
  
leave. A good night sleep would be welcome before starting this whole ordeal. He had a bad feeling about this. For  
  
some reason he felt uncomfortable leaving Relena alone. He didn't know where the feeling came from, but there it was.  
  
His eyes fell on a familiar shape making it's way through the garden. Apparently he wasn't the only one  
  
searching for a bit of fresh air. He looked on as the figure that was Relena sat down on a white bench near a  
  
fountain. He was fascinated be the way the wind made her hair play around her features. Occasionally she pushed  
  
a strand behind her ear. Futile work, because the honey blond locks wouldn't be contained.  
  
He pushed himself from the ledge he was sitting on and landed safely on the ground, three stories down.  
  
Silently he made his way to where Relena was resting. A few paces behind her he settled his back against a tree,  
  
not caring his shirt became wet. From close he noticed her hair wasn't tied in the trademark thin braids of hers.  
  
Instead all of it just hung down her back. Her shoulders were slightly hunched, indicating how tired she was.  
  
"I hate saying goodbye," she suddenly spoke.  
  
Heero didn't move. She couldn't know he was there, could she? She was talking to herself.  
  
"I agreed with Wufei to get you two a plane, but I don't like it. I actually made up some story about a  
  
meeting in India where I would have to go to early in the morning, so I didn't have to be there when you two leave."  
  
It sounded suspiciously like she was talking directly to him.  
  
She suddenly turned around to face him, not in the least bit surprised he was actually there. He was slacking.  
  
"Why don't you say anything?" she asked.  
  
"What would you have me say?"  
  
She turned face forward again. "I don't know. That I shouldn't have told a lie? That I am a coward for not  
  
being able to say two simple words?"  
  
"I know a lot about you by now and I know you're not a coward. Quatre has more troubles with leavetakings  
  
then you." He wasn't sure, but he thought that last drew a smile on her face.  
  
He walked around the bench and sat down next to her. It reminded him of how they had sat down in Libra. He  
  
had been waiting for Peacemillion or the other Gundams to make a move, or for the war to end. Either had been fine  
  
to him. She had been grateful for his presence then. He hoped she was now.  
  
For a long time neither of them spoke. He wasn't thrilled to admit it, but he rather enjoyed her company.  
  
She had always managed to spark something in his chest, to alleviate the pressure weighing him down just by being  
  
there. He breathed in deeply and smelled the rain soaked earth underneath his feet. An early bird send a hesitant,  
  
wavering song to the cold evening sky. The wind blew blond strands in his direction, tickling his cheek and neck  
  
with the tips. He didn't bother to brush them away. He felt that any movement he made, would destroy the tranquility  
  
in the air.  
  
"How long will you be gone?" Relena asked finally. Her clear voice tore through the stillness.  
  
"I don't know," he answered.  
  
"Heero, will you promise me something?"  
  
He looked at her in acknowledgment.  
  
"Will you promise me you won't be such a complete stranger as you have been the past years?"  
  
The question surprised him. He had purposely avoided her. He didn't think inferring in her life, would benefit  
  
her cause. The Gundam pilots were not exactly public enemy, but they had all five agreed on anonymity in order to  
  
protect the lives of their friends and loved ones. All it took was one nosy reporter, or perhaps a former student  
  
with a good memory, who recalled the incident at St Gabriel's. It wasn't too difficult to link Relena, the new student  
  
who had transferred within a month and the mysterious appearance and disappearance of Gundam 01.  
  
But looking at those clear blue eyes gazing over the winter garden, how could he refuse? So he found himself  
  
making a third promise to this woman. "Okay."  
  
Her smile made his heart leap.  
  
"I guess we had better get some sleep. I might not have to go to India, I still have a lot of work to do  
  
tomorrow." Her skirt rustled as she stood.  
  
Heero silently followed her example and they slowly made their way back to the palace. The door opened without  
  
a creak, but the sound their shoes made on the tiled floor of the entry hall made up for the lack of sound. Luckily the  
  
stairs had carpeting. In silent agreement they stopped at the second floor.  
  
"Bye, Heero," she said softly. Suddenly she squeezed his hand. Then she turned around and ran away. He stood  
  
listening to her dying footsteps. After a few moments of silence he slowly made his way up to the third floor. Why did  
  
he feel like something had ripped his heart out of his chest?  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Relena stood looking out of her bedroom window. It was only 7:00 a.m. Two lonely figures, each with a duffle  
  
bag slung over the shoulder made their way down the drive, towards the gate. She looked on as the two walked from the  
  
grounds to the runway, where their plane awaited. It was a rather small carrier aircraft, but it was big enough to make  
  
it across the Atlantic Ocean. They disappeared inside and a few moments later the low rumbling of the engines reached  
  
her ear. She watched as it slowly began moving forward, away from her. It gathered speed, until it suddenly it raised  
  
up into the sky. It grew smaller and smaller and then it was gone.  
  
Tiredly she rubbed her eyes and was surprised to find wetness. A few tears had managed to escape and were  
  
trickling down her cheeks. Angrily she wiped them away. But as new kept coming up she gave in and cried, hiding her  
  
face in the curtains.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AN Well, and that's the end of that one. 'Till next time. Bye. Dannee. 


	9. Chapter 8

AN Okay, here is the next chapter. Not much else to say.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Under Pressure  
  
Chapter 8  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Duo gulped as he looked at what his soon-to-be wife was devouring. She was barely two  
  
months pregnant and she was already eating half the refrigerator. She was now spooning away  
  
her third plate of stew. An excellent stew he had to admit, but she was eating more than he!  
  
And the occasional midnight snack had turned into a three double sandwich and a whole carton  
  
of milk. Every night! Where did she leave all that?!  
  
He sighed and shook his head, feeling his braid dance on his back. Luckily she didn't  
  
seem to be too much troubled by morning sickness, otherwise he would see that sandwich coming  
  
out every morning. He shuddered at the thought.  
  
"What's wrong, honey?" broke Hilde's voice through his reverie.  
  
"Nothing. I was just thinking that at the rate you're eating, I will have to get another  
  
job just to pay for the food."  
  
She laughed heartily. "Don't worry, Duo. We got more than enough. And I could always  
  
get a job, you know."  
  
"Oh no, no way. No pregnant woman of mine will have to work while I'm around."  
  
"That's really sweet of you." She gave him a hug, while she walked over to the sink, her  
  
plate in hand. Thank god, she wasn't going to spoon for another helping. He didn't think he could  
  
stand that. "But just because I'm carrying a baby, doesn't mean I'm suddenly as fragile as a  
  
porcelain figure."  
  
"But you don't have to get a job," he pleaded with her.  
  
"I know that, but sitting around the house all day, getting fat, won't do the baby much  
  
good. Getting a job will be wholesome."  
  
"Then maybe you shouldn't eat so much," he murmured.  
  
She laughed and pulled his braid. "I can't help it. When I'm hungry, I eat, until the  
  
hunger goes away. That just seems to take a lot more eating nowadays." Lovingly she put her  
  
arms around his shoulders. "Don't worry. We're gonna be just fine."  
  
Smiling he gently stroked her arms. His smile turned into a groan as he watched her arm  
  
stretch towards the fruit basket in the table. Her hand closed around an apple and brought the  
  
peace of food to her mouth. All his muscles contracted as he listened to her taking a bite and  
  
chewing on it.  
  
"You want a bite?" she asked.  
  
Deciding to take her rare offer to share her food he took a bite out of the already half  
  
eaten apple. How did she do that? By the time he was done chewing she was done with the whole  
  
piece of fruit. Amazing. She pressed a sticky applely kiss on his cheek and went to do the dishes.  
  
Sighing he got up and grabbed a tea-cloth, so she wouldn't say he was lazy.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Wufei glanced at the screen. "We have something on radar, Heero."  
  
Heero, in the pilot seat, turned to him. "What is it?"  
  
Wufei frowned. "A unmarked carrier, looks like it."  
  
"Where is it going?"  
  
"It's trajectory carries it about twenty miles from... from the base we're heading for.  
  
Could it be a supply carrier for that base?"  
  
"We won't know unless we find out, won't we."  
  
Wufei smiled slightly. It was easy working with Heero. His personality might be questionable,  
  
his skills were unrivaled and he wasn't nearly as unbearable company as Duo. Besides, Heero and he  
  
were more alike than any of the others. They refused to let their emotions get in the way of their  
  
mission.  
  
"After it, then, but stay low. We don't want to appear on their radar."  
  
Heero shot his friend a look that said, 'what do you think I am, a moron?' He deftly  
  
maneuvered their plane low, tipping the trees. From a safe distance they followed the supply  
  
carrier, until it landed.  
  
"Better bring it down, so we can follow on foot," Heero said.  
  
Wufei nodded in agreement. Yes, that was the best thing to do. They landed on a clear spot  
  
between the trees. The plane barely fitted there and while they were dipping down, they slashed a  
  
few trees. Heero flicked a few switches above his head and suddenly they were bathed in silence.  
  
Wufei unbuckled his seatbelt and got up.  
  
"Get your gear," he said to Heero. Silently the other man followed.  
  
Outside they were met by the cool air of northern Canada. The trees rustled in the wind,  
  
pines and spruce firs mostly. Between the evergreen trees stood some dying brown. The ground was  
  
covered with needles, softening their footsteps, not that that was necessary.  
  
Compass in hand they made their way to where the carrier had landed. It was a good hour  
  
walk, but neither of them spoke. Quite suddenly the woods gave way, leaving the ground bare. In  
  
the middle of the clearing stood a farm. The large carrier next to it told the two that this was  
  
no ordinary farm. Their was not an animal in sight. But there were people alright. People in very  
  
familiar uniforms.  
  
"Preventers," Wufei growled. He sensed Heero's gaze, sweeping over him. He had never told  
  
anyone why he had left and he could feel Heero's mild curiosity. He didn't explain himself though.  
  
"Looks like we don't have to contact them after all. If only we would have known sooner."  
  
"I suggest we give them the information we have. If they knew what we do, they would have  
  
contacted us long before, and moved Relena to a different location."  
  
Wufei didn't feel like letting himself be known. Former coworkers could be among those people  
  
and he didn't want questions asked, but he realized Heero was right. They had to share their information  
  
with them. "Then we had better get going," he said, sounding like he had just written his epitaph.  
  
They silently rose and made their way to the barn. Wufei grumbled angrily. The security was lacking,  
  
because it was so easy to reach them. He had let himself in with Preventers again. He hated it. He didn't  
  
want to. But ask Heero to take over so he could return to their own plane, was admitting a cowardice he  
  
despised. So he continued.  
  
Finally someone seemed to take notice of them as they made their way to the double doors.  
  
"Halt, this is a restricted area. State your business," a man said, raising his rifle, his  
  
insignias marking him as a lieutenant  
  
Wufei felt his irritation rise. "I wish to speak to your Commander. Where is he?"  
  
"I said, state your business!"  
  
It was a good thing Heero stepped in, because he might just have wrung the guys neck.  
  
"I think our business has a lot to do with yours. We have some information on the base your watching,  
  
your Commander would like to have. Take us to him."  
  
The lieutenant stood in doubt for a few seconds. Then he motioned for two of his men to come to  
  
him. "Search them for weaponry."  
  
The two did as they were ordered. Wufei and Heero had come lightly armed, only a gun and two knives  
  
each. They kept the weapons and positioned themselves behind and to the outside of the two intruders. The  
  
lieutenant led them to the barn. Inside was the controlled hubbub Wufei knew so well. He looked around and  
  
recognized the setup in the barn. Equipment near the door, bunks in the back.  
  
He didn't have much time for a stroll down memory lane though. The lieutenant led them to two very  
  
familiar figures. One was obviously a man, the long pale blond hair marking him as Zechs Marquise. The other  
  
one... Wufei heart sank. The other on was Sally Po. Shit, I don't want this! I don't care if Heero thinks I'm  
  
a coward, I should have stayed at the plane!  
  
"Commander, we intercepted to intruders," the lieutenant saluted his superior.  
  
Next to Wufei Heero snorted. In any other circumstance, Wufei would have agreed. They hadn't been  
  
intercepted, they had walked purposely right into their arms. But now he dreaded the woman that was turning  
  
to face the would-be intruders. Her blond hair was still tied in those two tails hanging over her shoulders.  
  
Her high cheekbones accented the lines in her face. Her soft red lips slightly parted as she was about to  
  
respond. Her gorgeous blue eyes widened, as they fell on him. "Wufei!" Her soft kind voice spoke his name  
  
in surprise. He could hear the hurt she felt and his chest painfully contracted. He had been a fool to leave  
  
this woman behind! How could he ever have thought, he would get over it? Never, ever, would he love anyone  
  
else than Sally.  
  
Zechs voice cut through their connection. "Heero, Wufei, what are you two doing here? Have you been  
  
contacted by Lady Une?"  
  
"No," Heero said. "We have some information that led us here. We didn't know you would be here as well."  
  
"What kind of information?" the Lightning Count inquired.  
  
"It's only fragments," Wufei put in, desperately trying to divert his attention from the woman he loved.  
  
"I didn't get as much as I had hoped. It's pretty much two files scrambling each other, and the one we need was  
  
also encrypted."  
  
"If it's so important that you came all the way out here, why didn't you just contact Lady Une?"  
  
Reluctant he turned his gaze back to Sally. "Because the records were outdated for over a year. For  
  
all we knew the hinted organization had died and then we would have put the Preventers on alert for nothing.  
  
Your presence here proves it's still active." And you standing in front of me just proved me I'm still very  
  
much in love with you. Damn you, woman! Why do you mess around my head so much?!  
  
"How did you find us?" Zechs put in.  
  
"We followed what looked like a supply carrier. It was headed close to where the base mentioned in the  
  
records is supposedly located." Heero cold voice somehow had a calming effect.  
  
Zechs shook his head. "Great, they were spotted. I told them to take a smaller plane, one easier to  
  
hide, but no, they knew better. Pfah!" He snorted in disdain.  
  
Wufei reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box with disks. "This is all we have. The blue  
  
disk is decrypted, the red one isn't." He handed it to Zechs. As he brought his arm back to his side, a hand  
  
suddenly closed around his wrist.  
  
"We need to talk," Sally said, dragging him with her. He caught the bewildered looks on the faces of  
  
both Zechs and Heero, before he was rushed outside. She kept pulling his arm until they had reached a spot  
  
that could not be seen from the barn or the stations of the guards.  
  
"Let go of me," he said angrily, as he pulled himself free from her grasp.  
  
"Why did you leave?"  
  
The question caught him a little by surprised. He had expected she would just start yelling at him.  
  
"I already explained. I couldn't work with you anymore."  
  
"And why was that? No. no. let me get, you had... how would you say this... you had to get over your  
  
'infatuation' with me, didn't you. So let me ask you, just out of curiosity, did you?"  
  
"Did what?" he grunted unwillingly. He didn't like where this conversation was going.  
  
"Did you get over it, over me?"  
  
He wanted to say, 'yes, I did. You mean nothing to me now', but he couldn't. For the first time in  
  
his life he cursed his upbringing. He had always been taught honesty stood above all else, so he couldn't  
  
lie. And he definitely couldn't lie to those big blue eyes staring into his own.  
  
"No," he whispered, knowing his heart had defeated him. What would she do now? Would she call him  
  
a hopeless, heartsick little boy who kept hanging on to the past? That was how he felt. Or would she laugh  
  
at him, or just walk away without a word? He looked down at the ground.  
  
"Good," she said. Surprise ran through him at that one word and he looked up again. Her eyes had  
  
lost al the heated fury now, they glowed with kindness and compassion. And understanding. "I hope one day  
  
you will be able to acknowledge your heart for what it is and feels, Wufei. Until then, I'll wait for  
  
you." She squeezed his hand and turned.  
  
He looked at her retreating form almost hungrily. She said she would wait for him! She didn't think  
  
he was an idiot. He didn't know how long he would have to let her wait, because he still couldn't make out  
  
his own feelings, but somewhere deep inside him a flame had started to burn. It was feeding on the words  
  
she had spoken and he knew it would eventually purge him of all doubt and worry.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Heero frowned at the Preventer dragging the ex-Preventer along, away from him and Zechs.  
  
"Do you know what that is all about?" he asked his once-enemy.  
  
Zechs shook his head. "I'm not sure. It could have something to do with Wufei's sudden resignation  
  
three years ago."  
  
"Why did he do that?"  
  
The blond man shrugged. "I've given up on trying to understand that guy long ago."  
  
"So, what do we do about all this?" Heero got down to business.  
  
"Well, actually I've been tempted to call one of you five to help us out. We need someone who can  
  
easily infiltrate the base and gather more information."  
  
"So you want Wufei and me to spy on them?"  
  
"Yeah, that's one way of putting it." Zechs scratched his head. "However, it will be dangerous."  
  
Heero cocked on eyebrow. As if that ever stopped him from doing anything.  
  
Zechs seemed to read his mind, because he grinned. "We had better get your gear as fast as we can.  
  
You up to going in tonight?"  
  
"Sure, let's get to it."  
  
The two men walked over to a computer. While Zechs showed the newcomer what they had on the layout  
  
of the enemy's camp, Sally joined them again, a slight smile around her lips.  
  
"Where's Wufei?" Heero asked.  
  
"Oh, he'll be here in a moment. He needs some time to think. Don't worry, we'll have an easy time  
  
filling him in on all this."  
  
In a short amount of time Heero had engraved the crude camp's layout in his mind. By that time Wufei  
  
had joined them again and was also studying the map on the computer screen.  
  
"We think that's where the commander's office is, or something like that. And this looks like a  
  
small conference room."  
  
The two young pilots nodded. "We'll go there," Wufei said. "That's where plans are made."  
  
"What do you need?" Sally asked matter-of-factly.  
  
"Camouflage clothing, weaponry, tools, climbing gear," Heero answered. They would probably have to  
  
climb the walls to get in and he preferred doing that using rope. It would make things a lot easier and it  
  
would take less time.  
  
"Very well, I suggest you get some sleep before tonight. If you came straight from Cinq, you must  
  
have a jet lag. We'll get the gear ready and wake you in time."  
  
Heero smiled in his mind. Zechs knew a soldier's life and knew they could sleep anytime they had  
  
to. Gratefully he walked to the back of the barn with Wufei and hoisted himself in a spare bunk. For a  
  
moment his thoughts drifted back to the mining asteroid where he had worked. He wondered how Anton was  
  
doing. He should have listened to the man and gone to the doctor. Instead he had been stubborn and  
  
therefore the bacteria eating his lungs had been able to bring him closer to death than anything had  
  
ever could.  
  
It did not do to dwell on the past. He turned on his other side and forced himself to sleep.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AN Well, that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed. More coming soon. Please review? Pretty please? 


	10. Chapter 9

AN And here is the next chapter. I have nothing further to say.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Under Pressure  
  
Chapter 9  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Under the cover of darkness Wufei and Heero hastened themselves through the woods. Wufei  
  
silently cursed the dry twigs and branches on te ground. They made too much noise. They had left  
  
the Preventer encampment at dusk. Now they were an hour away from it and closing in the enemy's  
  
camp.  
  
The edge of the forest loomed ahead of them and they slowed their pace. Carefully they  
  
crept between the last trees and looked out over the small buildings in the middle of their gaze.  
  
They were darkened and from what Wufei could make out in the scarce moonlight, they were a dark  
  
green and greenery covered the roofs. It would be very difficult to spot them on a satellite photo.  
  
He looked around for signs of guards or other security measures. One sprang out immediately.  
  
It was very close to his face, right in front of it actually. A tripwire. He guessed it ran all the  
  
way around the open field. No-one could near this place easily. Unpracticed soldiers would barge  
  
right through it. He poked his friend in the shoulder and pointed at the wire in front of him.  
  
Heero nodded to show he had already seen it.  
  
Slowly the two got to their feet and crossed the edge of the woods without touching the wire.  
  
Then, quick as the wind, they made their way across the grass and halted against the wall of one of  
  
the buildings. It was higher than it looked like from afar. That didn't matter though. They had  
  
brought climbing rope with a small grappling iron attached to it. It easily caught on the edge.  
  
Swiftly Wufei climbed up first. Crouched low between the plants he waited until his friend made  
  
it to the top. They rolled up the rope and hid it in a bush. It would only get in the way if they  
  
brought it with them.  
  
Silently they crept over the roof. Suddenly Heero grabbed Wufei's sleeve startling him. He  
  
saw his friend point at the ground underneath his feet. Wufei looked closely and saw what the other  
  
meant. The were standing on the grit of a ventilation shaft. Pulling out their tools they quickly  
  
had dislodged it. They lowered themselves in the vertical shaft, until Wufei felt his feet reaching  
  
horizontal footing. He lowered himself in the tunnel and waited for Heero to be there too.  
  
They silently agreed to take the northern tunnel. For a while they just made their way through  
  
the ventilation system, taking several turns, passing several different rooms. From what Wufei could  
  
see, it was a fairly organized camp. Through several grits in a row they had a clear view on what  
  
looked like a large dormitory. In the faint light coming from a glow above the door on the far end  
  
there were about forty bunks in the dorm. That meant about eighty people were sleeping there. He  
  
hoped this was the only dorm. Unfortunately, it wasn't. They passed at least three more of them,  
  
until they decided to turn right towards what looked like the mess and the officers's quarters.  
  
He froze when voices reached his ear. He looked around at Heero behind him and pointed in  
  
the direction from where he thought the sound were coming. Heero nodded in agreement and they set  
  
out to find the owners of the voices.  
  
It didn't take them long. Within two minutes they were looking through a grit in what looked  
  
like a conference room. Wufei wasn't sure if it was at the same place Zechs had pointed at, but it  
  
didn't matter.  
  
In the room seated around a table were seven people. There uniforms were quite plain except  
  
for the decorations on their right shoulder, indicating their rank. Currently the man on the left  
  
side of the commanding officer was speaking. "... don't know their whereabouts. They've laid low  
  
for the past five years. Nobody even knows their identity, except for a select few."  
  
"But how do we know, they won't step in?" a man on the other end of the table asked.  
  
"We don't," the first answered. "That's why we have to act fast. The Preventers are already  
  
on to us. God knows how they found us, though. We have been very careful."  
  
"Apparently, not careful enough," the commander bit. "I don't want our past five years of effort  
  
be wasted by some upstart Preventer commander."  
  
Wufei stiffened. They were insulting his Sally. Wait a minute. My Sally? What am I thinking?!  
  
He directed his attention back towards the room below him.  
  
"... assure you, commander," the man on the right side of the commander said, "that our  
  
precautions taken in this matter will prevent any intervention from anyone." He suddenly grinned  
  
maliciously. "They won't know what hit them."  
  
"They'd better not," the commander said threateningly. "I don't want those annoying brats  
  
meddling in this. Is the team ready?"  
  
"Yes, sir, they are awaiting your command," the woman at the far end of the table said.  
  
"Then hand them the order."  
  
"Yes, sir." The woman stood up and left the room.  
  
The commander turned his attention back to the remaining people. "That team had better be good.  
  
I don't want them screwing up."  
  
"There is no reason to worry. They can easily evade the security around minister Darlian," a  
  
woman in the middle of the left side of the table said.  
  
"They have been trained especially for this assassination job. Within a day the minister is  
  
history."  
  
Wufei felt Heero next to him stiffen. He chanced a glance to his side and saw the man's widened  
  
eyes, a hint of panic in them. Before he would make a sound Wufei placed his hand over the other man's  
  
mouth and signaled to the shaft behind them. They had to get out of here and fast. Even though the team  
  
after Relena had just left it would take them an hour or two to get back to the Preventers's camp. And  
  
their plane was not the fastest.  
  
As fast as they could afford without making any noise they went back the way they came. In about  
  
half an hour they crouched low on the rooftop. They didn't bother to search for the rope they had hidden.  
  
Instead they jumped down and began to run back to the edge of the wood. Heero was making a lot more speed  
  
than Wufei.  
  
The tripwire! Wufei jumped at his friend to stop him from barging between the trees. When Heero  
  
looked around at him in anger he pointed to the ground. "The tripwire," he whispered. Heero actually  
  
looked embarrassed.  
  
They made it back to the camp in record time. Out of breath they barged into the barn.  
  
"Where is Zechs?" Heero demanded.  
  
"The colonel left for Preventer headquarters about three hours ago," a lieutenant answered them.  
  
"Orders from Lady Une."  
  
"Great," Heero muttered.  
  
"What's going on?" Sally voice sounded behind Wufei, making him nearly jump.  
  
Hiding his uneasiness, he turned to face her. "We spied on a meeting of the commanding officers.  
  
They just send out a team to assassinate Relena."  
  
Silence rang in the barn. Maybe he should not have said that so loud.  
  
"Ready the jet!" Sally called out. "We're leaving at once! Captain Johnson, ready the men. You  
  
are to take over the base and arrest anyone in sight. Don't be nice, we're dealing with a dangerous  
  
group here."  
  
The captain saluted and started barking orders. Wufei had to hand it to the man, he knew his  
  
job. But he couldn't let them do this. They were with too few to be able to handle all that many people.  
  
"Don't do it. You don't have enough men. I estimate the count up to two hundred and fifty, maybe  
  
even three hundred. As soon as we leave start gathering your men and get out of her. They know you're  
  
here, so as soon as they know with how few you are, they'll attack."  
  
The captain had paled and looked at his Commander.  
  
Sally took one look at Wufei and then nodded at the captain. "Do what he says. He knows what  
  
he's talking about. Evacuate base immediately!" she ordered loudly. "Leave what you can't carry. We take  
  
the plane."  
  
She dragged the two Gundam pilots outside and around the barn. A smaller one Wufei had not  
  
noticed before stood there, the front removed. A plane was being towed out, the engineers were running  
  
around. Heero spurted towards it and jumped inside.  
  
"Wow, he sure is impatient, isn't he," Sally murmured. "How long ago did the team leave for Cinq?"  
  
"About an hour and a half."  
  
She hissed. "That gives them to much of a head start."  
  
Wufei agreed with her. He also agreed with Heero not to let that head start get any bigger. He  
  
dragged Sally along to the plane when the engines began revving up. When they entered the cockpit, they  
  
saw Heero already seated and buckled in the pilot's chair. Wufei quickly slipped in the co-pilot's seat  
  
and Sally sat down behind him. They barely had time to buckle up before Heero pushed the handles and the  
  
plane began rolling forward, scattering people all over.  
  
Wufei glanced sideways and took in Heero's determined features. His face stood grim and his  
  
eyes... Well, they weren't cold anymore, they were ablaze with hatred, and anxiety. Wufei silently  
  
wondered how long it would take before Heero realized he loved Relena. Then again, he wasn't allowed  
  
speaking. He knew he loved Sally, but he stubbornly refused to give in to his heart. And he even knew  
  
he was being stubborn. Why was his life so confusing?  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Quatre strolled along the hallway, deep in thought. He hadn't heard anything from Heero, just  
  
that he had arrived, and even that message had not come from the man himself. Relena had contacted him  
  
some time ago, a week, maybe longer, to tell him that Heero was back to his old self and that he and  
  
Wufei had buried themselves in some work she didn't know much about.  
  
Quatre smiled. That sounded like Heero. That smile became somewhat forced as he recalled how  
  
stubborn Heero had been after the doctors had allowed him to train to build up some stamina again. Heero  
  
had just wanted to storm around the colony for a bit of a warming up and then probably spend an hour or  
  
two lifting too much weight and then cool down with running the same laps in the other direction.  
  
The man was terrible. He was a menace to his own health. Quatre had sometimes had to restrain  
  
him physically to stop him from doing himself bodily harm. He just hoped Relena could stop Heero from  
  
killing himself.  
  
Suddenly he froze. Soft notes were drifting through the hallway. For a moment he was at a loss  
  
as to where they came from. Then he realized he was close to the music room.  
  
He treasured that room. He loved making music. The piano and the violin were his favorite instruments,  
  
but he also kept a harp, two clarinets, a modern cello and the baroque version of one, a flauto traverso  
  
and a harpsichord. He still had to replace the flute he had given Trowa, but he hadn't found any time to  
  
do that, so far.  
  
He recognized the music that reached his ear. Prelude from the first cello suite of Bach. The clear  
  
and happy notes graced the air. Whoever was playing this was a very good musician. His technic was good  
  
enough to bring out the full beauty of the cello. He played with the tempi and the dynamics and made it  
  
sound like it was easy to play, while Quatre knew for a fact that it wasn't.  
  
He tiptoed to the door of the music room. His hand hovered above the doorknob. He decided not to  
  
open the door. He didn't want to disturb the man. Yet he was curious to who was playing. He couldn't think  
  
of anyone who had access to this room that could play the cello.  
  
The music reached its climax and ended with a tremolo. Quatre waited for a few seconds and then  
  
silently opened the door. The sight that met him was quite unsuspected.  
  
It was Dorothy. She sat on a piano stool, her back towards him. He could just make out the  
  
music-stand in front of her. Apparently she had found some music in one of the cabinets along the wall  
  
that suited her.  
  
He looked as her delicate fingers flicked through the pages and pulled something different to the  
  
front. He was just about to say something, when she cut him of with music, oblivious to his presence. He  
  
knew this music very well. The first cello sonata from Vivaldi, for cello and harpsichord. He listened to  
  
the first few lines and then noiselessly walked to his harpsichord. He bared the keys and prayed it was  
  
still tuned.  
  
It was and soon the dry tones of the harpsichords mixed with the cello. Dorothy faltered for a  
  
moment and she glanced at him. He just cocked an eyebrow, silently encouraging her to continue. She did.  
  
For some time they just made music.  
  
Quatre remembered when Trowa had stayed with him for a little while when the war had just begun.  
  
He and Trowa had just met and he had invited Trowa to stay for a some time, while his Gundam was being  
  
repaired. He had been playing the violin a little, his favorite piece even. Suddenly the soft tones of  
  
the flute had joined his violin. He was surprised to find the emotionless Trowa capable of making such  
  
rich music. Those few minutes of music had taught him more of Trowa then the days before, when Trowa was  
  
his guest.  
  
Trowa was not as emotionless as people thought him to be. He was able to disconnect himself from  
  
them completely whenever he thought it necessary. And in his life that had happened a lot. After so many  
  
years he was just unable to live properly to his emotions.  
  
Quatre was glad the man had met Catherine who had adopted him as her brother. She was kind and  
  
caring and had given Trowa something invaluable. A home.  
  
That was exactly what he had told Dorothy, from what Quatre could remember. Trowa didn't value  
  
his life very much, he had said, but he had something to return to, what made him want to live.  
  
It was partly because of that memory that Quatre had decided to take Dorothy in and give her a  
  
job. She didn't have a home. So he had given her one.  
  
"Hello, earth to Quatre. Come in, Quatre." A hand moved in front of his eyes.  
  
He looked up to find Dorothy looking at him in concern. "Sorry, I was just thinking."  
  
"Well, you were miles away. Anyway, I wanted to apologize for using your music room without  
  
your permission. I'm sorry."  
  
He smiled. "Hey, don't worry. I didn't even know you played. You're really very good. And this  
  
room is always open. I don't mind."  
  
She sighed in relief. "Well I'm not that good. I'm a little stiff and out of practice. It's  
  
been years since I last played. If you had come an hour earlier, all you would have heard was screeching."  
  
"Doesn't matter," he shrugged. "Playing an instrument is like riding a bicycle. Once you know  
  
how it's done, you never unlearn, now matter how out of practice you get."  
  
"You want to play some more?" she asked with a smile.  
  
"Yeah." He got up and walked to one of the oak cabinets lining the wall. Everything in the  
  
room was wood, the floor, the covering of the walls, the ceiling. The acoustics of the room were  
  
exceptionally good, for an indoor room. The ceiling was twice as high as a normal room and the  
  
size was that of a small concert hall. There was no room for an audience, though. The instruments  
  
and the music-filled cabinets took in a lot of space.  
  
He opened the cabinet and pulled out some a few sheets of music. "This is a sonata for  
  
cello and violin, from Williams. Do you know him?"  
  
"Sure, he lived from 78 to 151AC, right? His music is a bit unconventional for his time.  
  
He was obviously inspired by the eighteenth and nineteenth century AD composers."  
  
"You think you can play this?" He placed the music on the music stand she had been using.  
  
She shot him a look that said, 'are you kidding me, of course I can'.  
  
Quatre opened his violin chest and took out his Amati. He was very proud of his instrument.  
  
It was a beautiful violin. The cello Dorothy was holding was a Stradivarius, one of the most beautiful  
  
celli in the world. His alto was an Amati as well. For the violins he preferred the Amatis. The sound  
  
was much rounder and fuller, to his ears at least. But the Stradivarius cello was his pride. To bad he  
  
wasn't as good at playing the cello as he was at playing the violin.  
  
Strangely enough the two instruments, though of different making, sounded very well together.  
  
Because the cello sounded lower, louder and more dominating than a violin, the Amati violin with its  
  
rich sound intertwined wonderfully with the cello.  
  
Quatre closed his eyes and simply enjoyed the richness of the Williams's sonata.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Heero jolted awake at te beeping noise. For a moment he wanted to slam his hand on the  
  
alarmclock beside his bed, but then he realized he was sitting in a pilot's chair and the plane  
  
was telling him it was time to land. He turned off the autopilot and grabbed the controls. He  
  
hardly registered Wufei and Sally waking up.  
  
He sent the plane in a dive too steep for sanity, but he didn't care. He just wanted  
  
to get down on the ground as soon as possible. The terrorist group could not have landed on  
  
the private runway of the palace. Only registered planes and Preventer planes were allowed  
  
to do so. He knew the wings and tail of this plane bore the Preventers's insignia.  
  
The landing gear hit the runway and he hit the breaks. Screeching the plane came to a  
  
halt. He chanced a look out of the cockpit window and saw everything looked pretty normal. The  
  
palace looked intact. No sirens were heard and no police cars, ambulances or the like were  
  
visible. The only thing he saw were a jeep and a van driving at the base of the hill, skimming  
  
the city. Maybe they were still on time. Maybe they could still save her.  
  
He clung on to that thought as he clambered out of the cockpit and jumped out of  
  
the airplane door. Again he barely noticed Wufei and Sally, who had followed him. He began  
  
running down the runway towards the palace. Footsteps caught up with him. 'Please, let me be  
  
on time. Please don't let me be late!'  
  
Suddenly the ground shook as an earsplitting roar breached through the silent air.  
  
He blinked and wondered what he was doing on the ground. He worked himself up on his knees  
  
and gasped.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AN grins evilly Ha, my first cliffie! Don't worry folks, next chapter's coming up soon. 


	11. Chapter 10

AN Yeah me! Another chapter. I nearly forgot to post it today, but I couldn't leave you guys hanging  
  
like that. Only one scene today. A continuation of the last one, actually. Heero in action! Yeah! It  
  
was quite hard to write that little sequens and I hope my want for detail didn't destroy the speed  
  
that is usual in such a scene. Ah, well, on with the story.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Under Pressure  
  
Chapter 10  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Suddenly the ground shook as an earsplitting roar breached through the silent air. He blinked  
  
and wondered what he was doing on the ground. He worked himself up on his knees and gasped.  
  
There in front of him was the royal palace of the Cinq kingdom. A large grey plume of smoke  
  
rose from where the explosion had demolished what looked like a whole wing of the building.  
  
No. No, Relena. "Relena!" He didn't even realized he was shouting her name. He struggled back  
  
to his feet and took one step towards the ruins.  
  
"No, Heero, it's too dangerous. There's nothing you can do."  
  
He wanted to hit Wufei for his words. Of course there was something he could do. He could save  
  
Relena. She wasn't dead. She was just lost in the wreckage. He had to get her out.  
  
He took another step in the direction of the palace and felt four arms circling his chest and  
  
waist, hindering him to get any further.  
  
Didn't those fools understand? He had to get there. He had to! He fought against the hold on  
  
him. "Let me go! Fools, let me go!" His elbow connected with something and he felt the hold loosen.  
  
He took his chance and pulled free. One tug on his coat and then he was running, leaving a worried  
  
Sally to watch over Wufei who was gasping for breath. Heero's elbow had hit him in the chest.  
  
Heero covered the distance as fast as he could. He tore up the steps to the front door and  
  
yanked it open. Smoke billowed out and he covered his face. There were no flames though. The smoke  
  
had to come from somewhere else in the palace.  
  
The terrorists most have decided that blowing that part of the palace in which Relena lived and  
  
worked was enough for their mission.  
  
He ran through the entrance hall. The dense smoke made it difficult to breath. His lungs labored  
  
for the needed oxygen and he coughed.  
  
For a fleeting second his vision blackened as he remembered his illness. Panic seized him and he  
  
had trouble reorientating himself. Being sick had been the worst thing that had ever happened to him. He  
  
feared this smoke that caused the same symptoms.  
  
He mentally slapped himself. Relena. He had to find her. Where was she? Her office. The southern  
  
wing. The wing that was burning.  
  
Suddenly Heero realized his efforts were futile. If Relena had been in her office when the bomb  
  
went off, she was dead. He could already see the gaping hole in the wall of the hall where the stairs and  
  
elevator shaft to the southern wing had been.  
  
Not caring about the fire spreading around him he sank to his knees. It was over, all over. Relena  
  
was gone and it was his fault. He should have been sterner. He should have warned the Preventers anyway,  
  
no matter what Wufei said. He should have stayed with Relena. He should have protected her. He had  
  
promised  
  
He had promised.  
  
And now he had broken that promise. He had run away from her after some stupid trace that  
  
Preventers had already been on. Wufei could have handled that perfectly fine on his own. But Heero  
  
had been too afraid of what Relena stirred inside of him, that he had only thought about himself.  
  
And he had run away to leave Relena to be butchered by whatever idiots had decided to form an anti-  
  
peace rebellion.  
  
His eyes fell on a clock hanging from the wall. The glass was cracked, but it was still running.  
  
It was a quarter past seven.  
  
The fact slowly registered in his mind. A quarter past seven in the morning.  
  
Relena ate her breakfast at seven in the kitchen. Always.  
  
He hardly dared to breath. Perhaps there was still hope. The kitchen bordered the entrance hall  
  
on the west side. Perhaps it had not been blown away.  
  
He clambered back on his feet and started running. Within a minute he run through the open kitchen  
  
door, hiding his face behind his sleeve to protect him from the smoke and flames. Only his eyes were  
  
visible, searching left and right.  
  
Oh God, please, let her be here. Let her be here!  
  
The table had been thrown against the wall and had caught fire. The chairs were also steadily  
  
consumed by the flames. Cupboards were opened or had simply collapsed, littering plates and pans over  
  
the floor. He didn't bother trying to avoid the utensils scattered all over. Then his eye caught  
  
something.  
  
Behind the upturned fridge he saw the slip of a skirt or dress. His throat constricted as he ran  
  
to it.  
  
It was Relena.  
  
She lay in a crumpled heap on the floor, covered in dust and soot. Flames were nearing her  
  
dangerously close. Blood smeared her face and made her blouse stick to her back. It looked like she  
  
had been thrown against the wall and then been hit by something else.  
  
Heero pressed a trembling hand against the side of her neck and waited. He didn't care the fire  
  
was closing in on him, he had to receive some token of life from her.  
  
There it was. A flicker of a heartbeat. And then another. They were barely noticeable, but they  
  
were there. Her heart was beating.  
  
He inhaled sharply as relief flooded him and was immediately punished as smoke entered his lungs,  
  
making him cough uncontrollably. He carefully lifted her limp form in his arms and made his way to the  
  
exit. Luckily the entrance hall was still pretty much free of flames in the middle. Tiles didn't catch  
  
fire. He made it to the door safely and carried the unconscious minister outside.  
  
The pale sunlight was a strange contrast with the aggressive yellow and red from the flames  
  
within the palace.  
  
Heero wondered fleetingly why the fire department hadn't reacted to the explosion yet. Then  
  
he realized it had only been ten minutes since.  
  
Ten minutes.  
  
Ten minutes ago Relena, always so bright and lively, even when she was dead tired, had been  
  
turned into this pale creature on the verge of life and death. It wasn't fair.  
  
But he would reach Sally soon. She could look at Relena, treat her, and save her life. He only  
  
had to reach the runway.  
  
His legs were burning. He had been running most of the time and the smoke he had inhaled didn't  
  
do much good either. He only looked at Relena and the ground in front of him. He kept making sure she  
  
was still alive. He had to. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if she died in his arms.  
  
He cleared the gates to the runway and froze.  
  
The plane was gone.  
  
Numbness took him. He nearly dropped Relena out of shock. 'How could they? They knew I would  
  
return with her. I can do anything and they know it. They said it often enough themselves. Where are  
  
they?' He squeezed his eyes shut and remained like that for a few moments, hoping this was all a  
  
nightmare and that he would wake to find himself in bed with nothing to worry about.  
  
He chanced another look at the deserted runway. The sun glittered coldly on the asphalt, pointing  
  
out the emptiness. This couldn't be. This just couldn't be.  
  
For the first time in his life Heero experienced a sickeningly dark emotion called despair.  
  
He was alone on a empty runway with a palace burning down behind him and a bleeding woman in his  
  
arms and there was no chance he could get help.  
  
Stiffly he walked to where he had last been with Sally and Wufei. He winced as he remembered how  
  
his elbow had made contact with what he suspected to be Wufei's chest. Had the Chinese man become so mad  
  
about that, he had left? No, Heero refused to believe that. Wufei was strange, but he would never leave  
  
someone in such a precarious situation. And Sally certainly wouldn't let him.  
  
He stared at the ground, at first not registering what he saw. Then he realized what those red  
  
spots had to be. A few pieces of fabrics sticking in them told him the tale.  
  
Wufei and Sally had been taken by force. And whoever had done it, had taken the plane as well,  
  
leaving Heero with no way to go. It would take far too much time to go to the city, but it was the only  
  
option he had. He just hoped Relena could hold on for long enough.  
  
But first he needed to make sure she would be warm.  
  
He looked around. There was no way he could go back to the palace. The only part of it not  
  
burning was the northern wing and that was too far away from him to reach in time before the flames  
  
did. But perhaps the stables were still standing. They were at a safe distance from the palace.  
  
He knew Relena enjoyed horse riding. He had seen that the time they had attended school together  
  
at St Michael's. Perhaps a few rough blankets were there. With a little spark of hope he took his load  
  
there. Perhaps he could even ride a horse down to the city. It would be easier and faster and more  
  
comfortable. His arms were growing weary.  
  
He pushed open the stable doors with his shoulder and for a moment the black pit loomed  
  
threateningly. The horses were gone.  
  
But there were some blankets left. Coarse wool, meant to lay on a horses back, but they would  
  
keep Relena warm and she needed that. He swathed her in two of them and tied a third on his back. He  
  
picked his bundle up and walked out of the door.  
  
A gunshot croaked.  
  
Heero jumped back inside. Shit, they're still here! Suddenly the two cars he had seen, popped  
  
back in his mind. Stupid, stupid, stupid. A jeep and a van were the perfect transport for a team of  
  
assassins. Half of the team must have taken Wufei Sally.  
  
He looked at Relena's pale face. She needed help, faster than he could get her. But those morons  
  
outside wanted to keep her from it.  
  
He had been careless. He should have paid more attention to his surroundings. He huddled Relena  
  
close to him. How was he ever going to bring her to safety? The road to the city was blocked. He was  
  
trapped inside the stables with no means of transportation. And he had some trigger-loving idiots aiming  
  
for him.  
  
He had to get rid of them. He had to break his promise.  
  
"I'm sorry, Relena," he whispered. "But in order to get you out of here, I have no choice but  
  
to kill again."  
  
He gently laid the wounded girl on the straw and reached for his weapons. He was still in the  
  
get-up he had worn when they had been spying in Canada. He pulled out his guns and pulled the safety  
  
catch. The familiar dry click was heard.  
  
Carefully he glanced around the doorframe to take in his situation. Both the van and the jeep  
  
were parked on the runway. The must have driven up to the stables the moment he had disappeared inside.  
  
Six people stood with their guns aiming for the stable.  
  
Heero took aim and fired. One man collapsed. A clean shot in the head had taken him out. Heero  
  
winced as his first kill in over five years hit the ground with a thud. The remaining five retreated to  
  
the safety of their vehicles.  
  
"Come out, 01," one of the men shouted.  
  
Heero cursed. Great, they knew who he was. That meant they wouldn't likely underestimate him. He  
  
didn't take the trouble of answering the men. He just looked around frantically for another way out.  
  
"Come out, or we'll torch the place."  
  
Oh, that would really be beneficial for his current position. With all the hay stacked here, the  
  
stable would catch fire faster than he could shoot a mobile doll with his Gundam. He fired a few random  
  
bullets in the general direction of the two cars.  
  
"You have no place to go, 01. Even if you do manage to escape us, we have two teams waiting  
  
downhill for you and the little miss vice foreign minister."  
  
So they also knew Relena was still alive. They must have seen him carry her here. But maybe the  
  
team downhill didn't know. He glanced at her unconscious form. He had to get her out. But how?  
  
"Give it up, 01."  
  
Heero fired another few random shots around the door. He had to take them all out, but then he  
  
would have to leave Relena alone. Which meant he had to work really fast.  
  
First he took Relena a little deeper in the stable. She had to be safe from random bullets. He  
  
reloaded his guns and checked his knives. His finger trailed Relena's cheek.  
  
'I killed one man today.' He had broken his promise. 'And I will kill five more.' He had no  
  
choice if he wanted to save the life of the woman he had promised not to kill anymore. 'I'm sorry,  
  
Relena. I have no choice.' He took both guns firmly in his hands, index finger poised at the trigger.  
  
'I'm sorry.'  
  
He silently moved back to his place next to the door. One more time he took in the sight before  
  
him. The sun came from his left. He had to turn then, so his enemy would have the sunlight in their face.  
  
The one hiding behind the left car door of the jeep had the most awkward position. From there on he just  
  
had to work his way behind the jeep and then the van. It wouldn't take him very long.  
  
He pushed of from the wall and jumped outside, ignoring the surprised shouts and bullets that  
  
were vaguely directed to him. He ran a bit towards the sun to circle around the jeep and come up behind  
  
it. His first shot found the heart. His next took out the dead man's partner. Then he swerved around  
  
and ducked between the jeep's headlights.  
  
The three behind the van had quickly recovered and were now taking aim. Bullets dented the black  
  
car and shattered the windscreen. Tiny shards of glass rained on his back. He waited patiently for an  
  
opportunity to present itself.  
  
He peeked around te jeep and quickly pulled his head back, when another bullet hit the car too  
  
close for comfort. He had seen enough, though. If he ran along the left side of the jeep he could get  
  
on the left side of the van. From there on he could jump over the van and shoot the three people hiding  
  
against the right side.  
  
He inhaled sharply and pushed off from the bumper. Bullets followed him as he ran. His back  
  
slammed against the van and he jumped a little to the side so the wheel protected his feet.  
  
He needed a free hand to give him the extra push he needed to get over the roof of the van.  
  
Reluctantly he placed the gun in his left hand in its holster on his left thigh. He shifted his weight  
  
to his left foot and moved his right slightly forward. Without hesitation he jumped, rotating his body  
  
in mid jump. His left hand reached for the roof of the van. He hit it right on the spot. The extra jolt  
  
was just what he needed to cartwheel himself over the top. As his left hand released the roof he  
  
immediately reached for his second gun. With the first he took aim and shot the first of the three men.  
  
The bullet from his other gun took out the second and the moment he hit the ground, the third man died.  
  
The effort had not even quickened his breathing, but his chest felt strangely constricted. The  
  
deaths of those six weighed him down. He holstered his guns and walked back to the stable. When he  
  
reached out to pick up Relena, he froze and looked at his hands. It was with those hands that he had  
  
just killed. And with those hands he had to touch the embodiment of peace.  
  
He didn't have a choice though. He carefully lifted her in his arms, checking if she was alright.  
  
Her condition hadn't changed.  
  
Where to go? He couldn't go to town. He didn't downright believe what those men had said, but he  
  
didn't doubt that it could be true. He couldn't risk it. So there was no other option left but to head  
  
for the forest. But then he wouldn't be able to use one of those cars. The forest was too dense for that.  
  
But it was his sonly option. Once they were a safe distance away, he would look at Relena's injuries.  
  
He shifted her weight a little in his arms, so it would be easier to reach his gun, if it became  
  
necessary. Then he glanced around the door. All that was in sight were the two cars and the six dead bodies.  
  
He didn't take any chances and bolted out. Within one minute he was under the protection of the trees.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AN I hope you all understand why Heero didn't take the car. The only escape route that was left, didn't  
  
allow carrides. Well, that's not true. I just wanted Heero traipsing through the woods with Relena in  
  
his arms. Don't we all. The HeeroxRelena fans, that is. Anyways, please review? 


	12. Chapter 11

AN Woohoo! I'm getting more reviews. And no flames yet! I really thought I would be getting them. As I  
  
stated before, my selfesteem is low. On another note, what I published of this fic is about 49 pages  
  
long. And I've only got 69 finished. So I'm running out of material. Which means, that in a few chapters  
  
the frequency of updating will depend on my muse. Unfortunately, said muse is not very keen on its job.  
  
Stupid muse. All it does is give me new ideas for other fics, instead of ways of continuing this one.  
  
Oh well, I do intend on finishing this fic, but I'm really curious as to how. Don't worry, it'll have  
  
a happy ending. I don't want my first fic to be all doom and gloom.  
  
Anyway, on with the story.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Under Pressure  
  
Chapter 11  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
As Trowa got out of his trailer, Catherine looked up from the animal cage, she was kneeling in  
  
front of. She recognized the look on his face.  
  
"You're leaving."  
  
She didn't feel any resentment, not even resignation. Her brother had stayed with her for more  
  
than four years in a row. But he had his friends and if both of them left the circus on a holiday, the  
  
manager would pull his hair out. She and Trowa were the main event of the show.  
  
"Duo just called," he answered. "We're needed at Preventers's HQ. He's going to pick me up."  
  
She sighed and got up on her feet. "So when are you leaving?"  
  
"Tomorrow. Duo has to settle some things at his work first. Can you take care of Hilde? Duo  
  
doesn't want to leave her alone."  
  
Catherine frowned. "Why not?"  
  
"Apparently, she's pregnant."  
  
'Pregnant?' She couldn't believe it. On the other hand, she could. She knew how much those two  
  
loved each other. Everyone who saw them instantly knew they belonged together. "Of course. I'll be happy  
  
to have her."  
  
"Quatre is already on his way there. I just hope Duo hurries up."  
  
She smiled and walked up to her brother. "And what would you do to speed him up?"  
  
He grinned wryly. "There's not much I can do. If Duo wants something his own way, no-one will be  
  
able to change his mind."  
  
Catherine smiled and hugged him. "I know. Just be careful, alright?"  
  
"I will. Don't worry." He answered her hug lovingly.  
  
Trowa wouldn't have done that only a year ago. He had opened up so much since they had first met.  
  
He had not allowed his emotions to influence him. In fact, he had buried them so deep, he seemed devoid  
  
of them. He had tried to act on his emotions once, when Heero had told him to. Instead he had just  
  
calculated what he had thought the best thing to do.  
  
And she had stopped him from self-destructing.  
  
Answering to her tears was the first emotional act he had ever showed. She still remembered the  
  
look on his face, when she had gotten through to him. His eyes had spoken of a vulnerability, she had  
  
not sought in him. It was then that he had touched her heart.  
  
She had seen that look again when they had met in the artificial rain on the colony. He had lost  
  
his memory and had just walked on and on in the rain, soaking wet. She had taken him in, saying she was  
  
his sister. Somehow they had both adopted that as truth. And now they didn't know any better.  
  
After five years of peace he had to work again, to be what had made him so heartless. She just  
  
hoped he wouldn't return to that state.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Duo deftly docked the shuttle Quatre had lend him, and escorted his fiancé out. Trowa and  
  
Catherine were waiting for them at the gate. Duo realized how long it had been since he had last seen  
  
his friends.  
  
Trowa had grown. The lanky fifteen year old had become a muscular man with broad shoulders. He  
  
was athletic and looked more trained than ever. The lines in his face had become more pronounced. His  
  
hair was the same though, his bangs obscuring part of his face. His green eyes sparkled, something very  
  
unusual.  
  
"Hey, Duo," he said. "It's been a while, huh?"  
  
Duo smiled. He was happy his friend had found a welcoming home. "Yeah, it sure has. How've you  
  
been?"  
  
"Busy," the taller man answered. "The circus has been traveling around a lot lately. And every  
  
night a show, no matter where we are. Congratulations with the baby. You too, Hilde."  
  
Duo heart swelled in his chest as he saw a smile appear on his love's face.  
  
"Thank you, Trowa," she said. "It's good to see you again. And in one piece. I hear you pulled  
  
quite some stunts over the past few years." She glanced at Catherine at those words. Apparently the  
  
redhead had told all about her brother's adventures and woes.  
  
Catherine leaned over to Duo and pecked him on the cheek. "So, how does it feel becoming a father?"  
  
she laughed.  
  
Duo rolled his eyes. This was not a question he was looking forward to answer. He was very, very  
  
insecure about the upcoming baby. But he couldn't let Hilde know that. She would freak. Worse, what if  
  
she thought that he wasn't capable of being a good father and would leave to care for the child on her  
  
own. That thought frightened him beyond his wits.  
  
He grinned. "I am really looking forward to the day of the delivery. I can't wait."  
  
"You're gonna have to. It takes nine months to grow a baby."  
  
Duo grinned at those words, but he didn't feel too happy. He knew very well how long a baby took  
  
to grow. And nine months was way too short to his taste. "Well, I don't mean to be a party pooper, but  
  
I think we really have to go. The Lady is gonna be pretty pissed if we get in late. Quatre was already  
  
on his way, when he contacted me. We gotta get going."  
  
Trowa nodded. "See you later, sis."  
  
"Yeah, bye, Trowa."  
  
Duo cocked an eyebrow. That woman sure was easy about letting her brother go. On the other hand,  
  
they probably talked about last night and Trowa never repeated himself.  
  
"Well, honey, it's time to go."  
  
Duo was nearly knocked from his feet, when Hilde jumped at him. He immediately closed his arms  
  
around her, hugging her closely. He would miss her so much. They had been together for four years now.  
  
And now that she was pregnant, Lady Une had decided she needed him for some mission. It had to be serious  
  
for all the Gundam pilots to have been called upon.  
  
He hid his face in Hilde's now shoulder length hair. Her scent entered his nose and he breathed  
  
in deeply. He would miss her so much. She clung on to him, making it so much harder for him to let go.  
  
But he had to. Gently he pushed her away.  
  
"Don't worry. I'll be back and in time to enjoy you being pregnant."  
  
She smiled weakly. "Thanks, Duo. I love you."  
  
He gave her another hug. "I love you too, honey."  
  
Moments past.  
  
"Uh, honey? I really have to go now. Would you let go of me?"  
  
"No," she said in a strangled voice.  
  
"I know this is hard, but I think we're facing some serious trouble. I really have to go. I love  
  
you, okay?"  
  
She sighed against his chest. "Okay. Good luck."  
  
"Thanks. You take care of that baby of ours now. And you." He shifted his attention to Catherine,  
  
who jerked upright from his stern voice. "You take care of my girl here, okay? I want her back whole and  
  
healthy, you hear?"  
  
"Yes, sir," Catherine grinned.  
  
Duo gave Hilde a good long kiss and then bolted after Trowa who was already walking back through  
  
the gate to their shuttle. He easily caught up with his friend, but his mind was more difficult to  
  
redirect. He kept seeing Hilde's face before his eyes. He knew that if he looked over his shoulder he  
  
would see her standing next to Catherine, but he didn't dare turn around. He would never be able to face  
  
forward again.  
  
"Don't worry," Trowa spoke up next to him. "Catherine will take care of her."  
  
Duo looked sideways, silently thanking the taller man. He didn't know how, but Trowa always knew  
  
what was going on in other people's minds. Sometimes Duo thought that spooky, but at moments like this,  
  
he appreciated his friends peculiar gift.  
  
"What do you think Lady Une wants from us?" Duo asked as they entered the cockpit.  
  
"I don't know, but it had better be important. I don't want to be away from Cathy for too long."  
  
Duo smiled. He knew how much Trowa loved his sister for giving him a home. In a way that was  
  
also part of the reason he, Duo, loved Hilde, but the kind of he love he felt was different.  
  
"Are we clear for take off?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, I just contacted the control tower, so I suggest you get in your seat," Trowa answered.  
  
It was then that Duo realized he was still standing at the entrance of the cockpit. Trowa had  
  
taken the pilot's chair, which was fine by Duo, because he wanted to catch up on his sleep.  
  
He settled back in his chair and let himself be flown to Earth.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Trowa leaned forward to check if the autopilot was still directing them on the right course. It was.  
  
He glanced sideways at his passenger. Duo was pretty shaken by the thought of becoming a father.  
  
Still, he wasn't afraid of facing his responsibility. But when had Duo Maxwell ever run away from his  
  
obligations.  
  
Neither of the Gundam pilots ever had. Trowa had never rejected a mission. He had always done  
  
anything to complete an assignment without any regard for his personal well-being. He had never thought  
  
his life to be of any value. Until Catherine had showed him otherwise. She had given his life meaning,  
  
she had given him a home by adopting him as her brother. He owed her too much for that to just give up  
  
his life.  
  
He looked ahead and admired the stars and the looming Earth. The comm signaled. He pressed the  
  
designated button.  
  
"Trowa, thank god I could find you. Wake that pile of American flesh next to you."  
  
Trowa cocked an eyebrow. Why would Lady Une herself contact them, while they were on their way  
  
to her, and then use such language. Something was up. He nudged Duo, who immediately jolted upright. His  
  
eyes fell on the vid-screen and he said, "What's up, Colonel?"  
  
"I'll cut to the chase. An explosion took out a wing of the royal palace in Cinq. The whole main  
  
building burned down."  
  
Both men stared at the woman on screen in disbelief. "What?" Duo shouted. "How? When? Who? WHERE  
  
IS RELENA?!"  
  
Trowa blinked a moment. His ear was ringing from the abusive shouting. "That's what I'd like to  
  
know," he added.  
  
"We don't know. And what we do know, I don't want to say over this channel."  
  
"Understood," Trowa said.  
  
"I would like you two to check out the Cinq kingdom to see of you can pick something up."  
  
"We'll go."  
  
Lady Une merely nodded. "Have you heard from Heero?"  
  
"Isn't he with Quatre?" Duo put in.  
  
"Not any more. From what we heard, he was last with Wufei."  
  
"Wufei?" Duo said incredulously. "Well, there's a name I haven't heard in a long time. A long time."  
  
"What has he been doing?" Trowa asked.  
  
"I don't know and I don't care. As long as you find him and Heero. Then you can ask him. Now if  
  
you will excuse me, I have work to do. And so do you. Good day, gentlemen." She terminated the connection.  
  
Trowa stared blankly at the screen. The situation was a lot more serious. But if the Preventers  
  
had already gotten wind of it, why hadn't they acted sooner? The first that should have been done was  
  
tightening the security around Relena, to prevent what had happened. But why would Heero and Wufei be  
  
anywhere near Relena, if the Preventers hadn't told anyone outside them of the new threat that had  
  
attacked her?  
  
There wasn't anything to do, but obey the Lady's command.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Wufei leaned against the wall in his darkened cell. Every bone in his body ached, but he didn't  
  
pay attention to it.  
  
He was angry at himself. How could he let himself be taken by surprise? How could he have left  
  
his guard down like that? It probably had something to do with Heero's elbow plummeting into his stomach.  
  
He wasn't quite sure how long he had been unconscious. His kidnappers had left in their ship. He had seen  
  
the familiar interior when he woke up with a pounding head for just a few minutes. Sally had been there,  
  
but no sign of Heero or Relena.  
  
Well, Relena was probably dead and Heero had most likely only returned by the time they were long  
  
gone. Wufei hoped Heero didn't think he had been abandoned.  
  
He had woken up in this tiny space about an hour ago. He was alone in this five feet square room.  
  
Where was Sally? Had they hurt her?  
  
Even though he couldn't place a name to 'they', he knew they were part of the organization that  
  
had planned the assassination of Relena and who had abandoned the base in Tibet. He doubted though they  
  
had been brought back to Canada. That place was bound to have been taken by Zechs and the Preventer team.  
  
'They better not have hurt her, of I'll kill them.'  
  
Futile thought, of course. He was in no position to anything. If the door he had felt earlier,  
  
opened, he would probably be blinking against the sudden light and find himself staring down twenty  
  
barrels.  
  
In other words, this situation was completely hopeless.  
  
He wondered what these people were after. They had had five years since the Mariemeia incident  
  
to prepare for this, to gather followers and train soldiers. Were they just another peace-hating, war-  
  
loving gang of idiots? Or was it more they were after? Taking out Relena was the fastest way to chaos.  
  
Countries would start blaming each other. Whoever they were they had timed the attack perfectly. The  
  
Covenant was growing, but the majority of Earth was still no part of it. It was likely that the nations  
  
part of the Covenant would blame the independent nations, who were most adverse to the idea of another  
  
Alliance-like organization. The free countries would split and join the different sides. The situation  
  
could easily escalate in a war and the Preventers weren't strong enough to stop it.  
  
And all Wufei could do, was wait to find out who his captors were. Angrily he shifted on the hard  
  
floor. One thing he hated to the most, was waiting and doing nothing.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AN And that was another chapter. Next, Heero and Relena, though in a rather disheveld shate. And more on  
  
Wuffers and Sal. I really like that pairing. I'm working on a humor fic around those two. Very nice.  
  
Anyway, please review? makes puppy dog eyes at reader I live of reviews. Perhaps it can get my muse back  
  
to work. That would be nice. 


	13. Chapter 12

AN First off, I would like to thank all those who reviewed. I don't think I did that before,  
  
so I'm doing it now. Especially NafX, who so loyally reviews almost every update. I really  
  
like the fact I have such a fan. You're the greatest, honestly. And shruti, thanks you too.  
  
I was hoping that music scene was liked. It was meant to emphasize the huge contrast between  
  
Quatre's easy situation and Heero anxiety.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Under Pressure  
  
Chapter 12  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Heero was tired. He had walked for over a day now and Relena was growing heavy. He had  
  
cleaned her wounds the best he had could, and suffered extreme mortification.  
  
He bit his lip as he looked down on her pale face. It had been worse than when he had  
  
tucked her in bed only a week ago. She was wounded pretty much allover. He had cleaned and  
  
bandaged what he hoped were all the major ones, but he wasn't sure.  
  
The edge of the forest couldn't be too far off. He shrugged and tried to find a better  
  
position to carry Relena, but it was useless. His arms had gone numb a long time ago. He had  
  
chanced only two hours of sleep and he was beginning to feel it. His legs were made of lead,  
  
his head hurt and his back was coming apart. He had to rest. If he collapsed he wouldn't be  
  
much good to Relena.  
  
Gently he laid her on the ground and sat down next to her. Immediately his wariness took  
  
over and he fell asleep.  
  
A sound jolted him out of his slumber. His hand was halfway to his gun, until he saw  
  
what had made the noise. A rabbit was rustling the leaves. At Heero's movements it hopped away.  
  
He looked at Relena's sleeping form and decided she looked too pale for comfort. What  
  
if one of her wounds started bleeding again? He didn't like it, but he had to check. So he  
  
unwrapped the blankets around her and first checked her left arm. A long gash ran across her  
  
fore-arm. The bandage, his shirt-sleeve, he had tied around it was still holding. So it wasn't  
  
her arm. Maybe her shoulder.  
  
The makeshift bandage didn't look too good. He untied it and stiffened. Somehow she had  
  
burned her shoulder. The wound looked really bad. She needed a specialist to look at it. The  
  
best he could do was clean it and retied the dressing.  
  
He then looked at the most serious of all her injuries. The long tear from her right  
  
side, just above her hip, to her lowest left rib. He had no idea how deep that went. For all  
  
he knew, her internal organs could be terribly damaged. He could only tend to the wound the  
  
best he could, but he sensed his abilities were insufficient in this case. She was still  
  
bleeding after thirty hours. Of course it didn't help that he had jostled her around like a  
  
sack, carrying her through these woods. He just hoped he could get her medical care soon.  
  
He looked around. If he was right, it was only a few hours more to the edge of the  
  
forest. From there, civilization was close. He decided to leave her legs alone. There was  
  
nothing he could do to those burns anyway. He swathed her in the blankets again and lifted  
  
her up.  
  
He began walking again.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Quatre was growing more and more nervous in the office at Preventer's headquarters.  
  
Lady Une was steaming.  
  
"What's keeping them?" she growled, pacing up and down the ten feet width of her office.  
  
"I'm sure they'll be here soon," Quatre tried to soothe her. Pointless of course. The  
  
poor woman was completely overworked. She had had to endure several press conferences about  
  
the incident in Cinq, she was close to a nervous breakdown because two of the five Gundam  
  
pilots were God-knew-where and two more still had not arrived, a Preventer commander was missing  
  
in action and a man with dubious public reputation was badgering the whole headquarters demanding  
  
information on his missing sister.  
  
"Well, soon is not soon enough. They should have been here hours ago."  
  
Quatre decided this wasn't the right time to point out the minor detail that it was the  
  
Lady herself who had asked Duo and Trowa to take a little detour. She would explode. "Maybe  
  
they'll find them."  
  
"Yeah, and if wishes were wings, pigs could fly," Lady Une grumped.  
  
"You know Heero. If anyone could have made it on time to pull Relena out of that fire,  
  
it's him."  
  
The Colonel sighed and sat down at her desk. "I know that. But they had a plane. If they  
  
had Relena, wouldn't they just have flown back?"  
  
Quatre shrugged. "Maybe the plane was damaged because of the explosion?" It was a long  
  
shot and he knew it. According to eyewitnesses, the explosion had not been that devastating and  
  
it had certainly not been able to even touch anything standing on the runway. It had been the  
  
untamable fire that had destroyed the palace.  
  
Lady Une shook her head. "That's bull! If those three had Relena, they should have  
  
contacted us right away, instead of leaving us in the dark. Who do they think they are?!" She  
  
kept ranting about Heero, Wufei and Sally's insubordination, sounding very much like Wufei  
  
raving about some injustice.  
  
Quatre sighed. Apparently the Colonel wasn't willing to except the possibility that  
  
Relena was dead. He didn't want to think about it either, but he couldn't help it. He knew  
  
Heero would walk through fire to help that woman, he had done that several times, but the  
  
pilot of Wing Zero wasn't infallible. From what Quatre had heard they would have had to fly  
  
to Cinq in record time and the chances of making it were one in a thousand.  
  
"Colonel, as difficult as this may be to accept, we have to take in account the  
  
possibility of Relena's death."  
  
She didn't give him a chance to continue. "No! I will not except that. The girl is  
  
vital for the world. Without her, we are lost. Completely! So don't bring me that crap! We  
  
need her and I will not have her dead. You hear me?"  
  
"Colonel, be realistic!" he shouted back, rather heated. "We have no way of knowing  
  
whether she is dead or alive, but things don't look good. We have to prepare ourselves for  
  
the worst-case scenario. I suggest we call in Colonel Zechs and see what information he has  
  
managed to gather on this and how big the organization is we're dealing with."  
  
Lady Une waved her hand dismissively. "Come on, Quatre. The Preventers have dealt with  
  
numerous threats in the past. It's not like we can't handle another little war-loving terrorist  
  
group."  
  
Quatre banged his fist on the table, startling the other occupant of the room. Obviously,  
  
Lady Une's sense of judgement was very clouded. "I don't think you realize the seriousness of  
  
the situation. This new group may not be very new at all. They must have spent a lot of time in  
  
preparing the assassination of Relena Darlian. And the base Wufei found held records dating   
  
three years back. The fact that we haven't seen anything of them yet, worries me. They are well-  
  
hidden and well-prepared. They've probably been around for so long they have managed to expand  
  
their reach more than we can track down. This attack came out of nowhere and it scared me that  
  
they have managed to take us by surprise like that. Now, call Colonel Zechs. We have to face  
  
him anyway."  
  
The woman in front of him hid her face in her hands. "Now I know why you were always  
  
so good that we could never defeat you. Your analytic abilities exceed that of the average  
  
human being. Very well, I'll call Zechs." She turned to her vid-phone immediately.  
  
Quatre felt guilty. He had shouted at her, while she was under such stress. He just  
  
hoped Relena was still alive. He hoped for a miracle. But if anyone could make miracles happen,  
  
it was Heero.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Heero took a deep breath and opened the door to the bar. It was an old-fashioned kind of  
  
pub with wooden interior. A dark counter opposite from the door had six barstools. A few tables  
  
were scattered across the dark floor. HE walked up to the counter.  
  
"Do you have a phone?" he asked the barman.  
  
The greying man pointed to his right. Just around the bar were the doors to the separate  
  
restrooms and a phone. Heero had to control himself not to jump at the little machine. He picked  
  
up the receiver and dialed a number only used in emergencies. He just hoped Duo would answer.  
  
"Heero? Please tell me that's you."  
  
Duo panicked voice almost brought a smile on Heero's face. "It is," he answered. "Where  
  
are you?" He leaned against the wall, looking as casual and inconspicuous as he could.  
  
"Just south of the Cinq palace, with Trowa, on an airplane."  
  
Heero sighed with relief. "Can you come and pick me up?"  
  
"Sure, where are you?"  
  
Heero tried to orientate himself. "In a village on the eastern edge of the Grey Woods."  
  
"Oh yeah, I know that place. Where can we land?"  
  
"I suggest you try outside of town at the edge of the forest."  
  
"Okay, see you there."  
  
Heero put down the receiver and had to keep himself from slumping against the wall.  
  
Thank God, that line still worked. He and Duo had sat it up a few years ago in case of an  
  
emergency. Since Heero was one to live in seclusion, they had had to come up with a way to  
  
keep in touch. This was the first time the connection had ever had to be used.  
  
Casually Heero walked out the bar with a friendly wave to the barman. He left the  
  
village behind and bolted towards the forest. He had hidden Relena amongst a few bushes,  
  
wrapped tightly in all the blankets. He had no idea if anyone would be in that village and  
  
he didn't want to raise any suspicion. He had guessed Duo wouldn't be to far off, or otherwise  
  
Duo could have contacted someone close-by, the Preventers were probably swarming the royal  
  
palace in Cinq, to come and pick the both of them up. Of course, Heero couldn't say he had  
  
Relena with him. Just because no-one knew about the communication, didn't mean it couldn't  
  
be intercepted.  
  
It took him seven minutes to get back to Relena. Relief flooded him as he put a hand  
  
against her forehead. From what he could make out, her condition hadn't worsened. Now all he  
  
had to do was wait. It wouldn't take Duo and Trowa long to get here. When you were on foot  
  
the forest seemed very big, but by air the distance was covered in less than an hour.  
  
About forty minutes later the familiar wining of an airplane engine tore through the  
  
sky. Heero left his hiding place. The logo was that of the Winner company. Figured, Quatre  
  
was always ready to help out and Duo didn't own his own shuttle or airplane. The plane had  
  
barely come to a halt, when Duo jumped out.  
  
"Heero! Where the hell have you been? Where is Wufei? Where is Sally? Do you know  
  
Lady Une is going nuts over all this? Please tell me you have Relena with you."  
  
"She's right here. But she's hurt."  
  
Duo face grew even more grim. "How bad?"  
  
"Very bad. Sally wasn't there to help her and I've been dragging her through these  
  
woods, so things could only have gotten worse."  
  
"Okay, let's go get her."  
  
Heero had already turned around. He bent low and picked the limp form of Relena up.  
  
With a worried Duo on his heels, he headed for the aircraft. Trowa was waiting at the top of  
  
the gangway.  
  
"Here," he said. "Let me take her. You look about ready to fall over."  
  
"I'm fine," Heero said curtly. He didn't want to give Relena over to anyone. He just  
  
wanted to hold her, because he knew that in his arms, she was safe. 'And yet I failed to protect  
  
her. How safe is that?' He entered the plane and placed her in one of the chairs. "Just get us  
  
out of here," he said.  
  
Trowa entered the cockpit and Duo sat down next to Heero.  
  
"Will she make it?" The voice of the American sounded anxious.  
  
"She made it this far. I see no reason why she would die now." Heero hadn't meant to  
  
sound so rough. "There's nothing we can do except get to Preventers HQ a.s.a.p."  
  
Duo just nodded.  
  
Silence reigned for the next two hours.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"Lady Une, we have a transmission from a Trowa Barton. He wishes to speak to you personally."  
  
Lady Une jumped to the vid-phone. "Pass him through."  
  
Quatre tensed. Please, good news. Let it be good news.  
  
"This is Lady Une."  
  
"Trowa Barton here," the familiar voice sounded through the office. "We're coming. I  
  
suggest you have a med-team ready."  
  
Could it be? Could they have Relena with them? They would have to wait and see, because  
  
Trowa couldn't say that over an unprotected channel.  
  
"Don't even think about it," a cold voice cut in.  
  
Quatre walked around the desk to stand next to the Lady. Heero was with Trowa. He looked  
  
grim, but worn.  
  
"No med-team," the Japanese man said. "Too much publicity. Alert the hospital wing to]  
  
ready an OR. That's more than enough."  
  
Next to Quatre Lady Une heaved a sigh. Quatre felt like doing the same. That man was just  
  
plain paranoid. Still, there was no sense arguing with him.  
  
"Very well," Lady Une said. "No team. Just get here as fast as you can."  
  
"Understood," Trowa cut in. The connection was terminated.  
  
Lady Une leaned back in her chair. "Looks like she's still alive."  
  
"Medically speaking, yes," Quatre answered. "But publicly, she's still dead. As long as  
  
we keep it that way, we know she is no longer a target. That may give us the time we need to  
  
figure out who's behind this and what they want."  
  
"But as long as Relena is pronounced dead, the world has no leader. Panic will reign."  
  
"Then we have to present the world with an intermediate leader. Once Relena is better,  
  
she can help that one from the background."  
  
Lady Une again his her face in her hands. "And who do you propose? Who will be accepted  
  
by both Earth and the colonies? And has the stamina to take on Relena's position? It's not easy  
  
to take on her job."  
  
Quatre frowned. Now there's a thought. Who could take on the job as vice foreign minister,  
  
voluntarily? None of the politicians Quatre knew off were qualified. Besides, that substitute  
  
would have to bo as neutral as Relena herself. That quickly narrowed down the list to Zechs.  
  
True, his past was against him, but he also came from Cinq, so he had the same neutrality  
  
as Relena. He might not have as much diplomatic experience, but he was a natural leader, much in  
  
the same way as his sister. He couldn't replace her for that long a time though, or the people  
  
would start remembering his days as leader of the White Fang. Still, his military knowledge would  
  
be of use, because he could prevent the situation from escalating. He could explain clearly what  
  
the Preventers were doing and soothe the people's tempers.  
  
But it was best to wait with that for a while. If they came up with a substitute too  
  
fast, people would think it suspicious. Besides, the Preventers couldn't be linked too closely  
  
to a politician. No politician was allowed anything that looked like military support. And  
  
Preventer support would count as that.  
  
"We'll worry about that when it comes," Quatre said instead. "Let's just see what the  
  
others are bringing in, okay?"  
  
Lady Une nodded and got up. In silence the two walked across the crowded hall towards  
  
the elevators.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AN And that was another chapter. I have nothing else to say, except that I hope I get the  
  
inspiration to finish this story, soon. And please review? 


	14. Chapter 13

AN Hello, sorry this chappie took a little longer than others. I had a big test on Friday. Bummer.  
  
Anyway, next update will also take a week, I think. We're getting to a really seriously difficult  
  
subject now. The nerve system. I will be staring at brains and spinal cord for four hours straight.  
  
Twice! Lab research blabla. Don't know.  
  
I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Under Pressure  
  
Chapter 13  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Duo looked sadly at the limp form of the young woman in the chair across the aisle. Relena  
  
looked far too pale for comfort.  
  
Six years. She had been fighting her own battles for six years, constantly protected by  
  
Heero and the other pilots, but mostly by Heero.  
  
And now she was hurt. She was dying.  
  
Duo shook his head. It wasn't fair. She had worked so hard. Why would anyone want to  
  
disrupt what she had created? The woman had dedicated her life to peace. Nothing in her life held  
  
a greater priority. Even her own health was irrelevant, compared to her work.  
  
He glanced out of the small window on his right. They were nearing headquarters. Good, the  
  
sooner Relena got some help, the better. He just hoped the doctors wouldn't be completely helpless  
  
in this case. Aside from the fact that he would lose a very dear friend and the world would lose  
  
one of the most important in influential people in the political field, Heero would kill the doctor  
  
who refused to treat her.  
  
Duo sighed and fastened his seatbelt. Heero had taken his seat in the cockpit, so he was  
  
now stuck looking helplessly at the frail young woman in the seat across the aisle.  
  
The plane touched the ground and came to a halt. Duo unbuckled himself and moved to do the  
  
same for Relena and then pick her up, but someone beat him to it. Unsurprisingly, that someone was  
  
Heero. The lanky young man picked her up and carried her outside without a second glance at Duo. He  
  
understood Heero was upset about Relena, but he was downright uncivil. Then again, when was Heero  
  
ever civil?  
  
He suddenly remembered the time when he had thought he was saving Relena from certain death  
  
at the hands of the pilot of 01. She had stood up for her would-be killer. He shook his head in  
  
disbelief. That act had stopped him from killing the one man who had proved to be the worlds savior.  
  
Duo followed Heero out with Trowa at his side. The only ones waiting on the rarely used  
  
runway were Quatre and Lady Une. Even from that distance Duo could see both of them heaving a sigh  
  
of relief when Heero came into view. Or more over, when Relena came into view.  
  
Quatre ran towards them, followed by Lady Une at a more dignified pace.  
  
"Thank god, there you are!" the sandy-haired pilot exclaimed. "Is she alright? What  
  
happened? Where are Wufei and Sally?"  
  
"Let's just get her inside first, shall we?" Trowa answered.  
  
Heero hadn't even bothered to stop. Lady Une fell in next to him. "Will she make it?" she  
  
asked the stoic pilot.  
  
"I don't know, I'm not a doctor," he answered curtly.  
  
Duo frowned. Heero knew something of medicine. Enough to set his own leg when it was broken,  
  
as Duo remembered shuddering. Shouldn't he be able to tell if Relena would live or die? This was  
  
bull. Angrily he stomped after Heero.  
  
It took them barely five minutes to get inside and in the ER. Doctors were swarming around  
  
them like insects, but Heero refused to let Relena go. Lady Une told the doctors the precarious  
  
situation and finally convinced Heero to give Relena over to the medical staff.  
  
It was the first time Duo had ever seen Heero look lost. As the people in hospital uniforms  
  
wheeled a stretcher with Relena's form down the hall, Heero seemed to slump. Duo reached out and  
  
placed a hand on his friends shoulder. The other man turned and looked him in the eye.  
  
Duo felt like crying. The look Heero gave him was one of utter loss and helplessness. And  
  
Duo understood. Over the years the world had been safe, but before that, during the wars of 195 AC  
  
Heero had sworn to protect Relena. Never had he broken that promise. But now he had failed. The  
  
price was too high. Relena was close to death, Duo could read it in those Prussian blue eyes. Eyes  
  
that could frighten the most hardened soldiers and make people leap to obey his orders, were now  
  
empty of all emotion save one.  
  
Despair.  
  
Never, ever, had any Gundam pilot despaired, no matter what situation they had gotten  
  
themselves into. And now that Heero, the strongest of them all, was in such a state, Duo was beyond  
  
worry. He was ready to panic.  
  
Lady Une led them to a small conference room. They waited in silence.  
  
Duo fidgeted as he sat slumped in one of the chairs. Heero leaned against the wall,  
  
unmoving. Trowa stood close-by, occasionally glancing at the other pilot, as if he was looking  
  
over him. Quatre looked sad, sitting on the floor, leaning against the table leg. Lady Une had  
  
a worried frown on her face. If the Lady was showing emotions like that, things were serious.  
  
Duo sighed. He hoped Relena would be alright. If she had survived Heero carrying her  
  
around, then she would make it. She was tough, that one was. But he didn't know if she was tough  
  
enough.  
  
What had happened anyway? He had heard it had something to do with a suspicious group  
  
Preventers were watching in Canada. It was also where Heero and Wufei had suddenly showed up,  
  
acting upon a different source than the Preventers. It must have been Wufei to have found that  
  
information, because Heero was out cold at the time.  
  
Duo rubbed his face. There was no point in aimless wondering and he wouldn't get a straight  
  
answer from Heero, not considering the state he was in now. Best to wait for news about Relena's  
  
condition.  
  
He settled himself for a long wait. As he occasionally glanced at Heero, he saw what he  
  
had missed earlier. Heero wasn't just worn out emotionally, he was also very tired. He figured it  
  
was only willpower what kept the Perfect Soldier standing.  
  
He looked in front of him again and diverted his thoughts to more pleasant plains. His  
  
fiancé who was currently with his child. He closed his eyes and called her before his minds eye.  
  
The way her eyes glowed as she looked at him, the way her body curved just right when he held her.  
  
He hoped she was alright, not too scared by what was happening.  
  
He missed her. He missed the way she smiled at everything that pleased her. And he hadn't  
  
been gone for that long. Yet, he had this nagging feeling he wouldn't see her in a long while.  
  
He sat there, silently, until a man in a surgery uniform came down the hall.  
  
"How is she?" Lady Une asked, before anyone else could speak.  
  
"Her wounds are of a serious kind, but there is a chance she will pull through."  
  
Duo put his head back and sighed in relief. So, she wasn't out of danger yet. At least  
  
there was a chance of her healing. He hoped she would recover. He glanced over at Heero. And found  
  
him sound asleep on the floor, back against the wall, head resting on his knees.  
  
Looked like the Perfect Soldier had given in to his fatigue, now that he knew Relena was  
  
in capable hands.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Zechs sprinted out of the aircraft without bothering to leave orders for his men. They  
  
would know what to do. Relena! How could his baby sister have gotten hurt like that? He should  
  
have gone with Heero and the others to help her. Maybe he could have done something.  
  
He couldn't have, he knew that, but he felt such a waste, right now. Instead of helping  
  
his sister, he had done something else and left the job to others. Could he blame them?  
  
No. Heero had risked his own life, getting Relena out of the burning palace. And whatever  
  
had happened to Wufei and Sally, it couldn't be good. But he wanted someone to pay.  
  
Dreading the upcoming sight he walked through the hospital at Preventers headquarters. He  
  
knew what room she was in. Quatre had told him over the radio. The knowledge that the blond-haired  
  
Arabian was watching over his sister strangely comforted him. Quatre was a sensitive, but  
  
responsible young man who could calm people down. He just hoped the boy could handle it.  
  
Two men in Preventer uniform tensed as he neared the last room in the corridor. When they  
  
recognized him they relaxed, a little. Zechs was grateful for the security around his little  
  
sister. He didn't want whoever had done this to her, to finish the job. He left his coat on a peg  
  
outside, washed his hands and entered.  
  
He could barely see Relena, due to all the equipment around her. Everything was monitored.  
  
Screens bleeped and showed unexplainable lines and figures. One he understood. The heart monitor.  
  
Her pulse and blood pressure were stable. A breathing mask covered her nose and mouth.  
  
"Colonel Zechs?"  
  
He looked behind him. A physician was standing in the doorway, fingering a folder nervously.  
  
"Yes, doctor?"  
  
"I saw you entering and I figured you would like to know your sister's status so I brought  
  
her charts."  
  
Zechs smiled a little to try and ease the nervous man. "Thank you, doctor..."  
  
"Winter, doctor Winter. Shall we go to my office and sit down. I can assure you your sister  
  
is quite safe."  
  
With one last look at the unconscious Relena on the bed Zechs followed the doctor out. They  
  
went to a little office close-by. Doctor Winter sat down behind his desk, while Zechs took the  
  
visitors chair. He realized he had left his coat at Relena's room, but he didn't care.  
  
"Well, Colonel, I hope you understand, that nothing is certain at this point. Miss Relena  
  
is stable at the moment. However, that doesn't mean she's out of danger. She suffered severe  
  
abdominal trauma. Some kind of metallic debris had lodged itself in her spine. Upon entering her  
  
body it went straight through her abdominal and unfortunately, damaged one of her kidneys beyond  
  
repair. We managed to get it out without further injury to her internal organs, but we cannot  
  
establish the harm done to her spinal cord until she has woken up."  
  
"So she could be paralyzed for the rest of her life?" Zechs asked, his heart a lump of ice.  
  
The doctor nodded. "It's possible, but from what we saw, her spinal marrow has not been  
  
severed. There is a good chance the damage is minimal and all she will need is rehabilitation. But  
  
as I said, we just don't know."  
  
Zechs nodded. "What else is wrong with her?"  
  
"Considering what has happened, surprisingly little. A superficial wound to her shoulder and  
  
her arm and some mild burns on her legs."  
  
He sighed. "Could you tell me where Lady Une is now?"  
  
"I suppose she's in her office."  
  
"Thank you, doctor Winter."Zechs stood up and shook the man's hand. "Take good care of Relena."  
  
"I will, Colonel."  
  
Zechs nodded and left. He racked his brains to remember where Lady Une's office was. In a  
  
slight daze he headed for the fifteenth floor. Never in all his life had he ever thought Relena would  
  
get hurt. He was her older brother. He was supposed to protect her. During his days with OZ, he  
  
hardly had the chance to do that and later as leader of the White Fang he sure hadn't looked like a  
  
protective brother, but he had started that war so that afterwards she could do what she was so good  
  
at, giving the people of Earth and the colonies a chance to live in peace.  
  
And now that she had realized her dream, she was struck down by an unforseen force.  
  
He would kill them, peace or no peace. Nobody touched his sister.  
  
The elevator stopped and he got off. Down the hall, a right turn, passing the great conference  
  
room, a left turn and then he stood in front of a door which said, 'Colonel Une', in gilded letters.  
  
He fleetingly wondered what the Lady's first name was. He had never heard it. Even Treize had always  
  
called her, 'Lady Une' or just plain 'Lady'.  
  
Without knocking he entered. Lady Une looked up in annoyance that quickly faded to relief and  
  
then anxiety as she recognized him.  
  
"Colonel Zechs, how are you? I'm so sorry about what happened," she said as she raised from  
  
her chair.  
  
"It's quite alright, Lady, there's no need to feel sorry. No-one saw this coming." He  
  
slumped against the door.  
  
"You'll be pleased to know your wife is on her way here. Quatre contacted her right after you."  
  
He was thankful for that and he smiled tiredly at her words. "How are the boys anyway?"  
  
The Lady shrugged. "Fine, I guess. Heero is blaming himself horribly for what happened. He  
  
feels like he should have done more, acted faster, whatever. The other seem okay. We're a little  
  
worried about Wufei and Sally. From what Heero told us, the only conclusion we can come to, is that  
  
they have been kidnaped. It takes a lot of force to take a Gundam pilot against his will. And then  
  
they also highjacked the airplane so Heero and Relena were stranded."  
  
Zechs pushed his bangs out of his face. This was troubling indeed. "Do we know how big a  
  
group it is that we're dealing with?"  
  
She shook her head. "No, but it's bound to be large. Heero reported to have seen three dorms  
  
for eighty occupants each. All bunks seen, seemed slept on, which means any guards came from somewhere  
  
else, as well as the team sent after Relena."  
  
"What do we know about that team?" he asked as his heart sank. This was big. No, this was  
  
terrible. He wasn't sure if the Preventers had enough men to fight them. He had heard Sally had  
  
ordered the evacuation of the Preventer's base in Canada. Lady Une had told him when she had sent  
  
him to a Preventer's base in Central America to report personally on the happening in Canada and  
  
bring some sensitive documents to the people there about what they were working on. He wasn't sure  
  
if the two were connected, but considering the size of the encampment in Canada, it was possible  
  
the organization was even bigger.  
  
"Heero took out six men, who tried to scare him out of his hiding and to give Relena over  
  
to them, by telling him that part of the team was waiting for him downhill and that they would never  
  
reach the hospital. I must say, it could have been bluffing, but I'm not so sure anymore. There are  
  
also the ones who took out Wufei and Sally and highjacked the plane. I estimate twenty to twenty-five  
  
men of whom Heero killed six."  
  
Zechs bowed his head. After five glorious years of peace war was eminent. When would people  
  
ever learn that war was the most hideous thing ever devised by the human race? He didn't know, but  
  
he wished mankind would learn.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AN And that was it. Not much action, but it's gonna take some time before that comes. I'm still  
  
trying to be exact in my describtion of the peace threatening organisation. Next chapter lots of  
  
Wuffie and Sal (torture). I really like that pairing. Oh, and please review?  
  
Till next time  
  
Dannee 


	15. Chapter 14

AN Not much to say. Hope you'll enjoy this next chapter.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Under Pressure  
  
Chapter 14  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sally looked around while her captors were leading her down a grey corridor. The base  
  
looked as organized as Wufei had described it. But she wasn't sure they were in Canada now. It  
  
was too hot for that, the temperature was tropical, making her cuts and bruises sting with  
  
sweat.  
  
This was the first time since she had woken up about three or four days ago that she  
  
was allowed outside the tiny, and getting more and more smelly, room she was held in. Her eyes  
  
were still adjusting to the sudden chance in light intensity. Her room had no windows. She  
  
hadn't seen Wufei either, not since they had been taken. She worried about him. He was so  
  
stubborn and rebellious.  
  
She didn't have time to worry any longer, though. Her escort pushed in a room and  
  
closed the door behind her. This room was at least larger than her cell and lights were  
  
hanging from the ceiling. In the middle of the room stood a table and to chairs, on of which  
  
was occupied. Three men in dark blue uniforms lined the wall left of her. She focused her  
  
attention on the man in the chair. He was obviously some kind of leader. His brown hair was  
  
cut short, military style. He wore a dark blue uniform with decorations reminding her of  
  
former officers from OZ. His body was lean and well-trained. His brown eyes sparkled with  
  
intelligence and cruelty.  
  
"Greetings, Sally Po. I am the commander of this facility. You may call me commander.   
  
Please, be seated."  
  
Sally just nodded and took her seat.  
  
"Now, you may be wondering as to why you were brought here. Well, there are several  
  
reasons to be given. One is that, unfortunately, you were at the wrong place at the wrong  
  
time. Had you not been where you were when you were there, we would not have taken you, nor  
  
your friend. Don't worry, we haven't harmed him."  
  
She relaxed again, a little.  
  
"Then there was your other, friend. We didn't want things to be easy for him, so we  
  
had to take his ship. That also meant taking you, because we didn't want him to receive any  
  
help at all. I expect the poor boy is now in tears for failing to protect his dear Relena.  
  
Such a tender girl, that one is. It's a shame she was in the way of our plans, otherwise she  
  
would have lived." The man shrugged sadly, as if he was truly sorry for having to kill Relena.  
  
Sally's blood boiled. That idiot made it sound like Relena was to blame for her own  
  
death. Was she really dead? Her heart sank and her eyes stung. That couldn't be, could it?  
  
"I'm sorry. Did I upset you with my news? Yes, I understand it must be quite  
  
disturbing for you. Not only is one of the most prominent and pacifistic politicians of the  
  
world dead, you also lost a friend. Oh well, friends come and go. No need to worry about her  
  
anymore. Worry about your little Chinese friend instead. Because of you two don't give me  
  
what I want, you'll see the other pay."  
  
"I don't even know what it is that you want, so how can I give it?" she bit back.  
  
Nobody threatened Wufei without her putting up a fight. When they had first met, he had said  
  
she was weak. But he had later acknowledged strength didn't lie in muscles or even brains. It  
  
was the heart that was most important.  
  
"Oh, but you do know. Why else would I keep a Preventer commander captive?"  
  
That could mean a lot of things. As a commander for the Preventers she had come across  
  
so many things valuable to a terrorist group. "What do you want?" she growled.  
  
"That's what I like about you, straight to the point. I want to know how you found  
  
the Canadian base."  
  
Did they really think she would just give away top-secret Preventer data? Well, they  
  
had another thing coming. "Easy, we just followed your stench."  
  
A fist connected with her jaw. She barely caught herself from falling from her chair.  
  
Cheap shot. Carefully she straightened.  
  
The commander was still sitting comfortably in his chair, unfazed by the interruption.  
  
He smiled kindly to her. "Now, now, we don't like answers like that. Why won't you be  
  
straightforward? No harm will come from that."  
  
"Satellite irregularity. You security was lacking, we checked it out."  
  
He just stared at her impassively. "I don't believe you. Our security is failsafe.  
  
Why don't you tell me the truth? I am hurt."  
  
This idiot was getting on her nerves. She had to tread carefully though. She didn't  
  
fancy another blow to the head. "Combined with some electromagnetic waves, indicating  
  
equipment in a deserted area. Naturally we checked it out."  
  
He rubbed his chin. "That sounds plausible enough. I'll leave at that for the moment.  
  
Now, there's was something else I wanted to talk to you about."  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Wufei growled when the soldiers hit Sally. How dare he? Taking her by surprise like  
  
that. Did he have no honor? Probably not, otherwise he wouldn't have joined these buffoons  
  
in the first place. Why did she have to give such a stupid answer then? There was no sense  
  
in being stubborn if it only got yourself hurt.  
  
'Look who's talking! You're hurting yourself by ignoring your heart. You're just as  
  
much a stubborn idiot.' He quenched the little voice of his conscience.  
  
Wufei was in a little room, neighboring the room Sally was in. Only a one-way glass  
  
panel separated them. The conversation on the other side of the glass continued.  
  
"Now, now, we don't like answers like that. Why won't you be straightforward? No harm  
  
will come from that," that slimeball said.  
  
"Satellite irregularity. You security was lacking, we checked it out," Sally answered.  
  
He sighed with relief. She sounded normal enough. That had to mean she was alright, right?  
  
"I don't believe you. Our security is failsafe. Why don't you tell me the truth? I am  
  
hurt."  
  
Wufei's blood boiled. That man had the audacity to call Sally a liar?  
  
"Combined with some electromagnetic waves, indicating equipment in a deserted area.  
  
Naturally we checked it out."  
  
Hey, she didn't have to say that. She should have punched the guy. No, he should. And  
  
as soon as he got the chance, he would.  
  
"That sounds plausible enough. I'll leave at that for the moment. Now, there was  
  
something else I wanted to talk to you about." That pricked up jerk still doubted her? How  
  
dare he!  
  
Wufei was ready to punch right through the glass and strangle the man. What else  
  
would he want to know? There was no point in asking it, if he doubted every word coming from  
  
her.  
  
"I want to know the identity of the five Gundam pilots."  
  
Wufei stared. What did he need that for?  
  
"Why?" Sally asked in a croaked voice. She wondered the exact same thing.  
  
"They have been fighting for so long, and taking pleasure in it, that I thought they  
  
may want to join our cause. Not unreasonable, is it?"  
  
"You're insane!"  
  
Wufei thought she had a point there.  
  
"My mental state is no issue right now," the commander said, leaning forward  
  
threateningly. All pretense had faded. ""What is the identity of the five Gundam pilots?"  
  
"I don't know!"  
  
Wufei inhaled sharply. He hoped the man would buy it. Sally sure seemed convincing  
  
enough.  
  
"Don't be ridiculous! You're a high-ranking Preventer! You know that sort of things!  
  
Who are the Gundam pilots?!"  
  
"I don't know!" Sally shouted back. "Just because I'm a Preventer, doesn't mean I know  
  
everything. I'm sorry, but if there is a Preventer that knows who they are, you got the wrong  
  
one, because I don't."  
  
Wufei froze when the commander slowly raised. Sally didn't flinch though.  
  
"Is that so?" the man said, the malice apparent in his voice. "Sorry, honey, but I  
  
don't buy that. Now, you gonna tell me or do I have to beat it out of you."  
  
Sally didn't answer, just stared defiantly at the menace in front of her. Wufei  
  
cringed. Why did that stupid woman have to be so stubborn? He banged his fist against the  
  
glass, but it was futile. They couldn't hear him. No-one could. They had left him alone in  
  
this room, staring at the glass wall, wondering what he was supposed to see or do. Now he  
  
knew what they were after.  
  
Psychological torment. Sally would likely be physically hurt, but he would scream  
  
on the inside. He could never show these people his weakness though. They would exploit it  
  
even further. He just hoped he was strong enough to prevent himself from screaming.  
  
Sally still hadn't moved from her chair.  
  
"We can beat the information out of you, you know?" the commander said.  
  
"No, I don't, since there's nothing to beat out of me."  
  
'Oh, please, Sally, don't be so stupid. Just say that I am a Gundam pilot and they'll  
  
leave you alone.' She wouldn't, though. He knew that for certain, and it pained him.  
  
A hand snatched her collar and dragged her on her feet. She didn't even so much as  
  
blink. Despite her unwavering stubbornness he admired her courage. 'Just give in, already!'  
  
He mentally screamed at her, but he knew very well just how useless that was.  
  
He should have stayed with the Preventers. Then he would have been there in Canada  
  
from the start, they would have found out in time what these people were up to, they could  
  
have saved Relena and he wouldn't be looking at a cornered Sally right now. Hell, if he had  
  
stayed, they might have gotten married and Sally would be home on pregnancy leave!  
  
Pregnancy leave? Where did that come from? It didn't matter though, because big,  
  
bad and ugly over in the other room had now raised his fist.  
  
Wufei clenched his fist, burying his nails in the palm of his hand. He endured the  
  
little pain it caused as Sally endured her beating.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Hilde and Catherine sat next to each other on the couch in Cathy's trailer, watching  
  
television. Today was the official statement Relena was dead. Thank god, Duo had called  
  
yesterday, telling them it wasn't true. Otherwise Hilde was sure she would have panicked.  
  
Lady Une was sitting behind several microphones. Her face was set stern and sad.  
  
"Amongst the ashes of the royal palace we have finally found the remains of the vice foreign  
  
minister. We can now officially declare the death of Relena Darlian. We have yet no leads as  
  
to who was responsible for this assassination. However, we are doing everything we can to  
  
unearth these terrorists. We will find them and hold them accountable for their deeds."  
  
~~~~~~  
  
The light was painfully bright. She squinted and tried to focus on the world around  
  
her. The first thing she noticed was pain. Her whole body screamed with agony and she found  
  
herself fighting to stay awake, not to faint. She wanted to know where she was and what had  
  
happened.  
  
She tried opening her eyes again. This time it was easier. The bright light was gone,  
  
someone was blocking it.  
  
"She's awake!" a voice shouted. A voice she knew.  
  
'Milliardo?' She tried to say that name aloud, but only a hoarse whisper passed her  
  
lips.  
  
"Sh, don't try to talk." It was Milliardo. Happily she smiled as she made out his face.  
  
Concern creased his forehead, but he was also relieved about something. 'Probably me.  
  
I think I'm in the hospital. What happened anyway?' All she remembered was a loud bang. An  
  
explosion?  
  
Wariness washed over her and she couldn't stop her eyes from closing anymore.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AN That's it for now. Please review? 


	16. Chapter 15

AN Hello, my loyal fans (hm... don't get too cocky there, Dannee). Time for another update. Sorry  
  
I'm late again. But Christmas is coming so I'll have at least more time. Hope I'll also have  
  
inspiration, but I can't call on that. It comes of its own volition. Bit of a shame really, but I  
  
may come up with a one-shot ar something. And I'm still working on four, five other Gundam Wing  
  
fics and I-don't-know-how-many-other fics So any inspiration will be used, just maybe not on this  
  
story. But I solemny swear I will do my best. Reviews are great encouragement. hint, hint  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Under Pressure  
  
Chapter 15  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Dorothy sighed and leaned back in her chair. Over a secured channel Quatre had told her a  
  
few days ago Relena was regaining consciousness. There was still no sign of Wufei or Sally, though.  
  
She was worried about what could have happened to them.  
  
Her eyes wandered back to her computer screen. She knew the words by heart now, but she  
  
read them all the same.  
  
Dear Miss Dorothy,  
  
What a long time it has been since I last saw you. In fact, you couldn't have been older  
  
then eleven years. Surprising how time flies, isn't it?  
  
I must apologize for not offering my condolences when your grandfather unhappily passed  
  
away. I know such a delicate and sensitive young woman like yourself must have been   
  
tricken with grief.  
  
I will not dwell on this subject, so as not to recall so many unpleasant memories. However,  
  
it is your grandfather's legacy I am most interested in. You see, the great Duke Dermail  
  
owned quite an impressive private library, the subjects of his books stretching from ancient  
  
literature to modern science. I understand most of it has been sold or donated to the most  
  
prestigious public libraries and Universities of both Earth and the colonies. A noble  
  
gesture to spread the grand Duke's knowledge among the human race.  
  
It is the Duke's private records, also stored at the aforesaid library, that captured my  
  
attention. Who else, but the Duke's own granddaughter would possess them now? I asked myself.  
  
It is my desire to have the chance to looking into them. Would you grant me that opportunity,  
  
my dearest Miss Dorothy?  
  
Signed,  
  
Count Edward Fielding.  
  
Dorothy knew very well what private records the man meant and she would never hand them over.  
  
They were stored away safely on several data disks, heavily encrypted, locked away in the international  
  
Bank of Earth, Africa branch. No-one would think to look for them there. They held information too  
  
dangerous to be handed out to anyone. They might become of some use, some day, though.  
  
She remembered this Edward Fielding. He was in every way as much a nobleman as her grandfather  
  
had been, which was all the more reason not to hand over those documents. Even her childhood impression  
  
of him spoke of self-centeredness and conceit. The man loved war as much as she had feigned to do.  
  
He was a typical aristocrat, who only loved his money more than he loved himself. No doubt he  
  
thought war would be profitable to him. There was some truth in that, materialistically speaking,  
  
because he owned one of the largest weapon factories in the world. It was supposedly dismantled as all  
  
weapon factories were, but she rated his intellect high enough for him to be able to hide some branch  
  
that could easily be active again.  
  
Was that what drove people to silently excite a war? Money? Was that what all those people died  
  
for, soldiers and civilians alike? Fools. They didn't know. They didn't want to see the horrors war  
  
caused, they only saw dollar signs.  
  
When are people going to learn, war is only pain? She had experienced it firsthand. Had all the  
  
trouble and pain Zechs, Relena and the Gundam pilots, and even herself, been in vain? Had Mr. Treize  
  
died for nothing? And what about Mariemeia? The girl was not only proof even the most twisted and  
  
corrupted mind could be healed, she had also risked her life to save the peace she had recognized  
  
to be more important than war. Why couldn't other people learn as well?  
  
And now it looked like somebody had actually taken the first steps to war. Relena had survived  
  
the assassination, but publicly she was dead in order to assure her safety. It was a difficult decision  
  
made by Lady Une and Zechs. Relena dead meant risking an all out panic, but Relena alive meant she was  
  
in even more danger and then she would need the protection of some if not all the Gundam pilots, and  
  
then they wouldn't be able to concentrate fully on finding the ones responsible for the assassination.  
  
Should she call the Preventers about this email? No, she was just being paranoid. No matter  
  
how much this idiotic Count loved war, that didn't necessarily mean he was behind all this. But maybe  
  
she could call Quatre. That would also give her an excuse to talk to him again. Not that she needed  
  
that, both the excuse and the talking to him. But it would be nice to hear his voice again.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"No, we have to find Wufei and Sally first. Any action we undertake against this group, will  
  
endanger them."  
  
Everyone agreed with Noin's words, but Trowa couldn't stop himself from saying, "Would we do  
  
the same if they were not our close friends?"  
  
Silence rang.  
  
"Of course we would," Quatre answered.  
  
Trowa shook his head. "Face it, you guys. We don't want to bail them out, because those guys  
  
may hurt them if we attack, we want them out because they are our friends. Therefore, we cannot use  
  
a Preventer team to get them out. Not that we would need them. But if we do this, it's our responsibility.  
  
We cannot involve a government agency in a personal mission."  
  
"He's right," Heero's voice sounded.  
  
Trowa looked up at where the man stood. Heero had become even more quiet than he usually was. He  
  
had not said a word to anyone unless it was absolutely necessary, until Relena had woken up. He seemed to  
  
blame himself for Relena's injuries. Though even Zechs had said that wasn't true. The man had even thanked  
  
his former enemy for saving his sisters life. Heero hadn't listened. Trowa silently wondered when the man  
  
would ever stop paining himself.  
  
"We cannot involve the Preventers in a personal rescue operation. We have to do this alone," the  
  
Japanese continued.  
  
"But we still need them," Duo chimed in. "Without their intelligence we can't find out where  
  
they're being held. We need whatever information the Preventers can gather about this group."  
  
Lady Une shook her head. "We don't have much more than what Wufei has brought us, and since that's  
  
not ours, you can use it as well. Besides that, I thought you Gundam pilots were so good at hacking into  
  
computer systems." She cocked an eyebrow at that, making Quatre blush a little.  
  
Suddenly Duo slammed his fist on the table. "That's it! Hacking!"  
  
Everyone stared at him blankly. Trowa shifted his shoulders irritably. Why would the American never  
  
say straight out what was on his mind?  
  
"Look, you guys. These bases have to stay in touch somehow, right? Otherwise they're no more than  
  
a few gangs with the same goal and they'll get in each other's way. So, they have to communicate in a way,  
  
right?"  
  
Trowa had a feel as to where hen was getting at.  
  
"And every comm signal can be intercepted. So, all we have to do is scrounge those disks of Wufei  
  
for more data, maybe even revisit the base in Tibet, and then we can trace their communication and locate  
  
them," Duo finished triumphantly.  
  
"And what do you suggest we do then?" Heero said in his usual dark tone. "Visit all the bases and  
  
ask if they're the ones holding Wufei, and Sally?"  
  
Duo's smile faltered a bit.  
  
Trowa frowned and scratched his head. Duo's idea was in essentials a good one, but Heero had quickly  
  
put his finger on the problem. Even if they could locate their bases with the information gathered from  
  
intercepted communication, that still left them with the problem what base they had to attack.  
  
"Whether we can discover their location or not," Lady Une spoke up again, "spying on their comm  
  
signals will be of use. I'll put Intelligence on it."  
  
"But what about Wufei and Sally?" Zechs joined in on the conversation.  
  
"We can't leave them," Trowa said quietly. He agreed on Quatre with that. He just wasn't sure about  
  
the risk. They shouldn't all be trapped. With this new threat the Gundam pilots were needed again, even though  
  
they didn't have their Gundams anymore.  
  
"I know," sounded Heero gruff voice again. "So we have to figure out where they are and how we get  
  
them out."  
  
Lady Une frowned. "Was Sally wearing her uniform?"  
  
"Yes," Heero said. "We didn't take the time to change. Why?"  
  
"Because our officer's uniforms are bugged in the insignias."  
  
"Now you're telling!" Duo exploded.  
  
Trowa had to agree with him. Though he wasn't one to explode in such a manner. So Preventers's  
  
whereabouts were monitored. That certainly gave them something to work on. "How accurate can you pinpoint  
  
their location?" he asked.  
  
"From here, about two to three hundred kilometers radius. For a more precise location you need to  
  
be closer, of course. It's more of a life signal than anything else. It will tell if she's alive, but only  
  
her and only that and only if she's wearing it. If Wufei is at a different base, then we can't find him."  
  
"First things first," Quatre chimed in. "Let's see if we can find them. Then we'll worry about the  
  
exact location and if Wufei is where Sally is."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AN As said before, please review? I may update sooner because of it. You never know... 


	17. Chapter 16

AN An extra long chapter to make up for the two belate ones form last time. I hope you all will like  
  
it. I kind of liked it myself  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Under pressure  
  
Chapter 16  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.  
  
Duo looked around, trying to figure out where that sound came from. As he turned the corner  
  
he found the source. Heero was banging his head against the wall.  
  
"Hey, buddy, you'd better stop that, or you'll hurt yourself."  
  
"Shut up," the other grunted. "I have a headache."  
  
Duo sighed. "Well, maybe that has something to do with the fact that you're banging your  
  
head against the wall like a maniac?"  
  
The thumping stopped as Heero took a little time off to glare at the braided pilot. "Just  
  
shut up."  
  
"Not until you tell me what's bothering you."  
  
The thumping resumed. "Nothing."  
  
"Yeah, right. And that's why mister Perfect soldier is inflicting a headache on himself.  
  
Come on." He grabbed the Japanese man by the wrist and dragged him along to a small conference room.  
  
There he pushed the man, still clutching his head, into a chair and kept him pinned there. "So,  
  
spill. I'm your friend. If anything is bothering you, you can tell me."  
  
Heero just looked at him silently.  
  
"Come on, you idiot, bottling it up inside of you, isn't going to help you."  
  
For a moment Heero kept glaring at him defiantly, but then he lowered his head in defeat. "I  
  
feel responsible for what happened to Wufei and Sally. If I hadn't run away blindly, I could have  
  
helped them fending their attackers off."  
  
"But if you hadn't run away, Relena would be dead now. Wufei and Sally still stand a chance.  
  
They're smart and resourceful and they'll make it. Besides, how were you to know what was going to  
  
happen? You did what you had to at the time. And moping about past mistakes, isn't going to set  
  
things right, so I suggest you get over this self-pity of yours." At those last words his tone had  
  
become very biting. He felt sorry for the hurt look he caused on Heero's face, but someone had to  
  
tell the man the truth.  
  
"I know that, but that doesn't change how I feel. No matter how you look at it, I am  
  
responsible for what happened."  
  
"Yeah, right," Duo scorned. "The only way for you to be that, is for you to be the leader of  
  
the organization behind the attacks. In that case, I have to place you under arrest. So, Mr Yuy,  
  
will you follow me peacefully, or do I have to resort to violence, because I sure as hell am tempted  
  
to bash you brains in!"  
  
Heero stared at the other openmouthed. Apparently he had not expected such a fierce  
  
reprimand. Well, if the guy wanted sympathy, he should have gone to Quatre. Duo didn't abide  
  
such foolishness. Not that he disregarded the other man's feelings, or thought Quatre a total  
  
weenie, but he hated people blaming themselves for something that wasn't their fault and then  
  
wallowing in self-pity. He never thought Heero would act like that someday. When he had accidently  
  
killed the peace-striving leaders of the Alliance, Heero had found a way to punish himself, but  
  
after that, is was over and done with. Now, it pained Duo to see his friend like this.  
  
So lost.  
  
Duo shook his head. "Listen, buddy, Relena is gonna get better, and we'll find a way to  
  
save Wufei and Sally, so stop cracking your skull and pull yourself together. You're not alone on  
  
this, you know? We're all worried. In fact, I think what you're doing is pretty selfish. You think  
  
only of how stupid you've been, while we were all neglecting the world around us. At least you did  
  
something. I can't say I did." He lowered his head. That was exactly what had been bothering him  
  
for the past few days. While he was playing the happy family man-to be, the world was heading towards  
  
another war. And he hadn't noticed because he had been too engrossed in his own little life. As an  
  
ex-Gundam pilot he had his responsibilities and he had forgotten all about them.  
  
"So?"  
  
Duo looked up in surprise at hearing that one word. "What do you mean 'so'?"  
  
"So what if you didn't do anything? You have a pregnant fiancé to look after. You're going  
  
to be a father, Duo!" Well, at least he had shaken Heero out of his stupor. But now he was acting a  
  
bit too awake, for Duo's sake. "Frankly, I'm amazed you're even here. I had expected you to stay  
  
with Hilde. Not that I'm not grateful for your coming. It saved me a lot of time getting Relena to  
  
a hospital. But you're missing out on the first pregnancy."  
  
"Don't you think I don't know that?!" Duo exploded. Heero had changed over the years and  
  
Duo wasn't sure he liked the assertive version. The quiet version was much easier to yell at,  
  
because you knew he wouldn't yell back. Neither would he do what you said, though. "I wish I could  
  
just jump on the first shuttle home, but I can't. The peace we helped establishing, is crumbling  
  
and I don't want my child to grow up in the same world we did, a world of war. I want my child to  
  
live a happy life, so I'll fight now. Because I know I'm fighting for the most important thing in  
  
the world."  
  
Heero just looked at him. Okay, maybe I don't like the silent treatment. He could at least  
  
say something. He had wanted to lighten Heero's heart a bit, but instead he had opened his own.  
  
Since when did Heero do that sort of thing? It was more something of Relena, or Quatre maybe.  
  
This was just too confusing. He turned and walked away.  
  
"I'm sorry, Duo."  
  
Duo stopped dead in his tracks. Well, that's a first. Slowly he turned to meet Heero's  
  
Prussian blue gaze.  
  
"You were right. I was too selfish to notice I'm not the only one with troubles. I'm sorry,"  
  
he repeated.  
  
Duo nodded. "It's okay. We're all shaken about his whole business. Do you think we should go  
  
after Wufei and Sally?"  
  
"I'm not leaving them," said Heero with strong conviction.  
  
"No, but Trowa was right. We can't use Preventers to get them out."  
  
"It won't be the first time we're on our own," Heero shrugged. "We can do this. But we need  
  
to know where they are."  
  
"The Lady is on it." Duo absently fingered his braid. "In the meantime, I think we should  
  
train, to get back into shape."  
  
Heero stared at him dumbstruck. "You know, if I were Wufei, I'd say that's the first time I  
  
heard you make sense."  
  
"Well, that's not very nice," Duo whined, hoping to distract both of them from their serious  
  
topic.  
  
Heero grinned. "I know. Why else do you think I said that?"  
  
A second later he ran though the halls with a steaming Duo in his wake.  
  
Wufei leaned back in his bonds. He was too tired to stand. For the past week he had been  
  
tortured no end. He was both physically and mentally exhausted. Since that first time out of his  
  
cell he hadn't seen Sally. He was worried about her. Did she receive the same treatment? He hoped  
  
not. He couldn't stand the thought of Sally being hurt like he was.  
  
That was the most painful thing of it all, not knowing what was happening to her. 'I should  
  
have admitted my love to her. Oh, god, Sally!' He fervently wished she was alright. As long as she  
  
was unharmed, he didn't care what happened to him.  
  
It was only then that he realized how it were possible he could have let his mind wander  
  
like that. His torturers had stopped and someone was talking to him.  
  
With all the effort he could muster, he raised his head and met the eyes of an unknown man.  
  
It wasn't the same man, the commander, who he had seen interrogating Sally. His insignias suggested  
  
a lower rank.  
  
Wufei saw the man moving his mouth and he strained to hear the words.  
  
"Still not talking, are you? Your friend is giving us as much trouble as you, you know?"  
  
Wufei boiled. So they were torturing Sally. They would pay for that.  
  
The man in front of him must have noticed something, because he spoke, "So there's still a  
  
spark left. No matter. We will extinguish that easy enough." He turned away from Wufei and nodded  
  
at the soldier standing by the door.  
  
Wufei's heart froze in fear when the soldier opened the iron door to let someone in the  
  
cell. His hands tightened around the chains hanging from the ceiling, bonding his wrists and holding  
  
his arms above his head. From his awkward position he watched in horror as a beaten and bruised  
  
Sally was led in the room and carelessly thrown on the floor.  
  
She didn't move. Her eyes were half-closed. Only her ragged breathing proved she was still  
  
alive.  
  
Wufei didn't flinch. He couldn't show these men his weakness. Because that's what it was,  
  
loving someone, a weakness. The person you loved, was your weak spot, your Achilles heel. The only  
  
way to protect her, was to keep his love secret from this scum. So he refused to show even the  
  
slightest emotion, when the love of his life was thrown on the floor like a bag of potatoes.  
  
"She didn't want to talk to us either, but maybe you have something to say to each other,"  
  
the officer said. He knelt down beside her and patted her on the head. She only blinked, slowly, as  
  
if even that tiny movement hurt. It probably did.  
  
"Get up," Wufei growled. The officer looked up in surprise and suspicion. Wufei didn't even  
  
glance at him. "Get up," he said again, this time in Mandarin. "Get up, woman! Or are you a  
  
weakling?! I didn't think you were, but you're proving otherwise right now. Get up!"  
  
Sally stirred. Her hands shifted to rest beside her shoulders.  
  
"If you want to prove your strong, then get up. You're not too weak to fight, are you?! Get  
  
up, woman, stand on your feet!" He was yelling, he realized. But he didn't care. If Sally could get  
  
to her feet, then she was alright. If only she would stand up.  
  
Slowly he saw the muscles in her arms contracting. She pushed off from the floor, until she  
  
was on her knees.  
  
"Come on, you weakling! Get! Up!"  
  
Wobbly she straightened her legs, still with her hands on the floor. Then, ever so slowly,  
  
she brought her body up, vertebra by vertebra, until she stood straight.  
  
"You didn't have to yell, you know," she mumbled.  
  
Wufei wanted to shout with glee. Not only had she heard him, she had registered him speaking  
  
Mandarin. For one moment his eyes met hers and he saw they hadn't managed to quench the fire in them.  
  
Then she suddenly turned away from him. She looked the officer, a captain Wufei guessed,  
  
straight in the eye and said, "What? This is a former colleague of mine. Is that all you wanted to  
  
show me?"  
  
His fist nearly drove her to the floor. Wufei had to bite his tongue not to yell in  
  
frustration. He couldn't help her. The only way to help was not to do anything at all. So he  
  
had to endure any pain she caused herself and not say anything.  
  
His hands tightened around the chains again, while he struggled back to his feet. Sally had  
  
recovered from the unexpected blow and was now staring blankly at the captain.  
  
The captain grimaced. "Oh, how brave. You know what we want to hear. Now, tell us! The names  
  
and whereabouts of the Gundam pilots!"  
  
Sally raised her chin haughtily. "Even if we did know, what makes you think we'd tell you?"  
  
Bad move. Wufei cringed. That remark would only make the man more angry. He wasn't sure how  
  
much more he could take. He would never talk, he'd rather die, but he figured he didn't have to wait  
  
long for that.  
  
The captain's face contorted in fury. "Because if you don't, you'll have to watch the other  
  
die very slowly."  
  
Sally didn't respond to that.  
  
"Well, at least you seemed a bit more talkative now. More than your friend, though that isn't  
  
that difficult. He hasn't made a noise all day. Surprising, isn't it, considering what we did to him."  
  
Wufei saw Sally fists clench. He wished he could kick her, or something, to warn her to hold  
  
her temper.  
  
The captain must have seen it too, because he grinned evilly. "Well, looks like we cracked  
  
the exterior of the ice-queen a little. Perhaps you do care more about him than you let on. You hear  
  
that, fellows?" he addressed his men, still lining the walls. "We might even have captured ourselves  
  
a couple of love-birds. Isn't that adorable?"  
  
Now the man was really getting on his nerves. How dare he assume such a thing?  
  
"Maybe you'll talk now," he said to Sally. Before Wufei could guess what the man was going to  
  
do, he had drawn his gun and planted a bullet in Wufei's leg.  
  
'There goes my kneecap.' He tried to keep himself on his feet by shifting his weight to his  
  
uninjured leg, but he hadn't anticipated this to happen. The shackles tore at his skin when he was  
  
jerked to a halt, knees just above the floor. The pain hit him unexpectedly. His jaw clenched as he  
  
tried not to scream. He was beyond that. No mere gun wound could make him crack. He had grown weak  
  
though, unpracticed. He couldn't take as much anymore as he used to.  
  
Carefully he placed his good leg underneath him and pushed himself off from the floor, pulling  
  
with his hands tight around the chains. He stood defiantly in front of the sneering captain, not  
  
caring about the blood that dripped on the floor.  
  
The captain glanced at Sally. "Still not talking, are you? What about the other leg?" He  
  
raised his gun. Wufei braced himself for the impact, but it didn't come.  
  
Instead a voice cried out. "No!" Sally stepped forward to try and stop the captain, but at  
  
the wiggling of a finger two soldiers stepped in and held her back.  
  
"Looks like you do care about him," the captain grinned. "Now, are you going to speak yet?"  
  
Wufei's stomach twisted itself into a knot. It looked like Sally was about to crack. He  
  
couldn't let that happen. "Don't you dare," he growled in Mandarin. "Don't say a word, you hea..."  
  
A fist connected with his jaw and he lost his balance. When his vision cleared, he saw the  
  
captain's eyes flick from him to Sally and back.  
  
"I've had enough of your games," the man said. "We've been lenient with you two, but I've  
  
had enough. Time to make you talk."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AN Poor, poor Wuffers. The things I put him through. The horrors. Okay, now I'm exaggerating. Still,  
  
it is pretty sad, wouldn't you say? However, things will get better. It just takes some time before  
  
they come up with a plan to free the two. And of course, they still have to find them first.  
  
Don't worry. It will not take too long. Till next time!  
  
Bye  
  
Dannee 


	18. Chapter 17

AN Sorry for the late update on this one. I know I promised to be on time, but I'm not feeling very well. In fact, I've got a terrible cold and I'm horribly PMS-ing so be grateful you got an update at all. Okay, I don't mean that, the grateful part that is, because I'm not too satisfied with how this chapter turned out to be. I hope you'll forgive my poor head, because it feels like it's stuffed with wool and I'm having trouble thinking straight. Hope you'll enjoy this chapter and Happy Newyear. Next update will be in the new year.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Under Pressure  
  
Chapter 17  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Relena pushed the disgusting porridge aside and reached for the applesauce. She didn't  
  
understand why she wasn't allowed to eat normally. This was the fifth day and she was still on  
  
fluids and she longed for an ordinary sandwich. The applesauce was quite nice though. A bit too  
  
sweet for her taste.  
  
As she spooned it into her mouth, she thought about everything that had happened. From  
  
what her brother had told, and what he had shied away from, she had gathered bits and pieces  
  
that more or less fit together. She thought she knew what happened. She just wanted to know where  
  
Sally and Wufei were. If they had come with Heero, why hadn't they been the ones to fly her to  
  
Preventer's HQ? Why had Heero had to traipse through the woods with her for days before they  
  
were picked up, by Duo and Trowa? It didn't make any sense.  
  
Something had happened to Sally and Wufei, but every time she tried to ask Milliardo,  
  
he'd steer the conversation away from that topic.  
  
Relena did know for certain she was publically announced dead. For the time being her  
  
brother had taken on part of her job, until a new vice-foreign minister had been appointed. She  
  
grinned as she thought how her little break some odd weeks ago had given him some practice.  
  
She was brought out of her reverie by a knock on the door. The knock was immediately  
  
followed by the opening of the door and Duo sticking his head around it.  
  
"Hey, Duo. Come in! I didn't know you were here."  
  
Duo closed the door behind him and threw her his usual grin. "How are you feeling,  
  
princess?"  
  
She smiled back. "Great! Except that the food's not too great. I get baby food."  
  
"Oh, poor you. You want me to have a word with the kitchens?"  
  
"Nah," she waved her hand. "I'll just complain about it myself. But I hadn't expected  
  
you to be here. I had thought you were with Hilde."  
  
His face darkened. "Yeah, you're not the only one. I had an argument with Heero. He  
  
said pretty much the same."  
  
"Oh." He did? That was rather unusual for Heero. Such consideration she would have  
  
expected from Quatre, or maybe Trowa. That silent man knew a lot more about emotions than he  
  
let on. "Duo, can I ask you something?"  
  
"Sure. What is it?"  
  
"I want to know what happened to Wufei and Sally."  
  
Duo looked away, but didn't say anything.  
  
"Come on, Duo. I'm not stupid you know. I know something is wrong. Why won't anyone tell  
  
me? Please, Duo, I want to know!"  
  
It remained silent in the room for a moment. "Alright," Duo sighed. "According to Heero,  
  
Wufei and Sally, and the plane they had came on, were gone when he came out of the palace with  
  
you. The group sent for the assassination attempt was bigger than expected and Heero had no  
  
choice but to flee in the woods. On the other side he contacted me and we picked him, and you, up."  
  
"So they were taken," Relena stated softly. She had considered it a possibility, but she  
  
had hoped for a different reason. A top secret under-cover spy mission, would be her favorite.  
  
But she knew that was a child's fantasy.  
  
Duo nodded. "That's the only explanation we could come up with, though we don't have  
  
any real evidence. I just hope the doc and justice boy are okay. Sally is smart enough, but  
  
Wufei would have a hard time keeping his temper in check. He's gonna drive his captors crazy."  
  
That brought a smile on her face. She was somewhat familiar with Wufei's hotheadedness.  
  
And she knew it was often directed at Duo. She smiled again at that. Duo had a knack for getting  
  
under Wufei's skin.  
  
"Can you find them?" she asked anxiously.  
  
"We think so. I don't think finding them will be that much of a problem. It's the  
  
bailing them out that's difficult. We have no idea how these bases are organized, or in what  
  
state Wufei and Sally are, so we have no idea what to do."  
  
Relena nodded understandingly. She did notice however that Duo said difficult, not  
  
impossible. She didn't think anything was impossible for the 'Gundam Wing boys'. She hoped  
  
the two friends held captive were alright.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Sally leaned against the wall of her stark cell. She was very bruised and very tired,  
  
but she couldn't sleep. She hoped Wufei was alright. That pricked up ass had shot him in the  
  
leg. If that wound wasn't looked after it would get infected. He might even lose his leg.  
  
She winced at the thought. Her strong Wufei missing a leg was not something she could  
  
bare. She stared at the wall in front of her. It was a dull grey, a dull grey all around her.  
  
There wasn't even something like a bed, not even a blanket. She shivered slightly, but refused  
  
to give in.  
  
Wufei had been so strong. He hadn't even winced when the bullet hit his knee. She  
  
couldn't let him down. He was one of the pilots. If that came out, then what he was going  
  
through now, would be heaven compared to the treatment installed for him then. So she wouldn't  
  
talk, she wouldn't budge or break, she would just take what was coming at her, no matter how  
  
ruff things got.  
  
That was why she didn't respond when the door opened. The result was a firm kick in  
  
the ribs. She didn't budge. She just got to her feet and turned to her guard. "Lead the way,"  
  
she smiled.  
  
The man roughly pushed her to the door. "Ladies first," he smirked.  
  
She was led through similar corridors, but in a different direction. Suddenly she stood  
  
in front of a pair of metal double doors. She couldn't quite believe it, but this base had to  
  
have more than one floor. The door revealed an elevator and she went at least two stories up.  
  
The corridor she was led through afterwards was similar to the one on her 'home'-level.  
  
Again the dull grey and the hard floor. She walked as straight as she could, unwilling to even  
  
flinch at the pain the simple movement was causing her.  
  
The guard in front of her rushed ahead a little to open a door on the left. The others  
  
around her steered her to it. Reluctantly she let them.  
  
The man waiting in the room was the same who had interrogated her first. The man who  
  
had said she could call him commander. And who had hit her in the face. This couldn't be good.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Relena leaned back in her pillows. She had been awake for six days now, but unfortunately  
  
the doctors had not allowed her to get out of bed. They had investigated the extent of the  
  
damage done to her spinal cord. She could still wiggle her toes and flex her legs, so she  
  
supposed it couldn't be that bad. Yet the doctors didn't want to take any risks. So she  
  
obediently did her little exercises and gulped down the food presented to her.  
  
But she was bored. Even when her body was failing her, her mind wanted to be challenged.  
  
She had read several books already, but she mainly wanted to know what was going on in the world  
  
and how she could help Milliardo.  
  
Of course, whenever she brought that up, he always said he didn't need it. But his  
  
duties now were far more extensive than what he had done during her short leave some weeks  
  
ago. She wanted to help him. She knew he needed her. He might be too stubborn to be waltzed  
  
over by those hawks of a politicians, but he didn't have the expertise to hold it out in the  
  
long run.  
  
He needed her help. It was as simple as that. Unfortunately, stubbornness seemed to run  
  
in the family, because he refused to admit it, insisting she needed to recover first. But the  
  
doctors said she was doing fine, much better than expected, considering she had been injured  
  
in an explosion and then carried around for over a day, without appropriate medical attention.  
  
One of the 'white coats' had even gone so far, as to say Heero had been foolish and irresponsible.  
  
The nerve of the man. Heero had been very careful and certainly had not added to her injuries.  
  
He wasn't capable of such a thing.  
  
She sighed and reached for the magazine on the bedside table. It had been brought to  
  
her by one of the nurses on her request. If she couldn't coax Milliardo into telling her what  
  
was going on, than she had to find out on her own. So far, she hadn't gotten her hands on any  
  
newspapers yet, which she really preferred since they were far more up-to-date than the weekly  
  
magazines, but luck would have it that this particular issue was published three days after the  
  
incident. Most of it was dedicated to her supposed death and speculation on who had done it.  
  
Fortunately, there was also a piece on Milliardo and how he was coping as interim foreign minister.  
  
This magazine was rather objective about it all, which satisfied Relena, because it  
  
would give her a good view on all the happenings. It seemed Milliardo was mainly keeping every  
  
delegate calm and asking th people to do the same thing. Further more, he had no inclination to  
  
truly take over the job and put himself up for the elections. He stated he didn't even plan to  
  
stay on for the remaining time until then. He did, however, slightly pressure the people into  
  
admitting that the Covenant would be important to prevent such actions in the future.  
  
Relena tapped her lips in thought at that. Over the past few days, she had begun to  
  
doubt her plans to establish an Earthen Senate. It might make the Colonies feel threatened.  
  
Of course, during her time of political activities she would ascertain the Covenant wouldn't  
  
turn into a second Alliance, yet the founders of said Alliance had done exactly the same. Who  
  
could guarantee the future leaders of the world wouldn't make the same mistakes?  
  
She would have to talk to Milliardo at that. If there was going to be a multinational  
  
political organization, it would have to include the Colonies. But the Colonies were so hesitant  
  
right now. They were afraid of opening their borders and joining in some kind of overlapping  
  
system, because they feared they would loose control over their own government. After being  
  
oppressed and cut off from the rest of humanity, it was difficult to regain trust in people  
  
not of the same colony.  
  
A knock on the door brought her out of her musings. Knowing it was no-one of the medical  
  
staff, they would waltz in if she was naked for goodness sakes, she raised her voice. "Come in!"  
  
It was Heero. He had certainly taken his time to check on her, after dropping her off.  
  
Duo had even said something along the lines of the man refusing to give her over to the medical  
  
staff for fear of another attempt to take her life.  
  
Idiot. A sweet idiot, but an idiot. Relena had to stop herself from smiling at the  
  
thought of Heero being sweet, or an idiot for that matter. He just didn't look like the type.  
  
Though he was sure making an effort now. He actually looked uncertain. She had never seen him  
  
look like that. Ever.  
  
"Hey, Heero. Nice to see you. How have you been?"  
  
"Okay," was his curt answer.  
  
Well, that was a good start of a conversation. Maybe she should just cut to the chase.  
  
"Duo said you blame yourself for what happened."  
  
Heero didn't respond. He simply stared past her at the wall, his face unreadable.  
  
"If you continue with that, I'll have no choice but to resort to violence. And as that  
  
would greatly dent my reputation as a peace advocate, I would appreciate it if you stop this  
  
nonsense."  
  
She hadn't really payed attention to the effect her words had on him, but when she  
  
looked up, it was impossible to miss the shocked expression on his face.  
  
"Good," she smiled. "Now that, that is solved, let's get down to more serious business.  
  
I want to know exactly what is going on." She knew she was playing dirty now. Heero probably  
  
knew Milliardo didn't want her to know anything until she was completely recovered, but at the  
  
same time he felt guilty for what happened and wanted to set things right by doing what she  
  
asked him to.  
  
"What do you want to know?"  
  
Everything would be a good start, but she realized Heero couldn't know everything,  
  
certainly not on the political field. "How is the search for Sally and Wufei coming along?"  
  
she asked instead.  
  
Heero shook his head. "So far we came up with nothing. We're still looking."  
  
Silence fell.  
  
Relena wished it were tangible so she could strangle it. When she finally had a chance  
  
to talk to the stubborn idiot who had saved her life, all she could do was ask menial questions  
  
which she could have answered herself. If Sally and Wufei had been found, she would have been  
  
informed, if only by Duo jumping up and down out of joy.  
  
She never thought talking to Heero would be so difficult.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AN I know the ending is terrible, not a cliffie, but terrible, but I'm out of inspiration. In fact,  
  
I'm out of ratoional thoughts'. Feel free to feel sorry for me and express your sympathy in a review.  
  
Till next year. Now where are my tissues? 


	19. Chapter 18

AN I am so sorry for not updating for like three weeks or so. I was stuck halfway this chapter and I had no idea how to cintimue. It turned out alright int he end though, I think. I hope I can get the next chapter out in less time. Again I'm really sorry it took this long.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Under Pressure  
  
Chapter 18  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"This isn't getting us anywhere," she murmured.  
  
Heero frowned. "What do you mean?"  
  
"You still blame yourself for what happened. That's foolish. None of us were capable of  
  
knowing their wanting to attack me the moment you happened to be gone. No-one knew you were in  
  
the palace, so we know they didn't wait for you to leave. It was just a coincidence. There was  
  
nothing you could do."  
  
"But I should have," he answered more heatedly than expected..  
  
"You can't do everything, Heero."  
  
"But I promised to protect you!"  
  
"Why?"  
  
He looked up in surprise. "Isn't it obvious? You are the leader of the Earth and the  
  
Colonies. If you die, peace will fail."  
  
Relena frowned. "It's not just that. You always protected me. Even when I was still an  
  
insignificant schoolgirl. You blocked the shot the Aries took at me, and you stopped the building  
  
from collapsing on top of me. You began protecting me long before I became anyone of importance.  
  
Why?"  
  
To her surprise he leaned forward and rested his face in his hands. "I don't know," he  
  
answered muffled. Relena remained silent, trying to draw out more from the stoic pilot. "I know  
  
I want to protect you, but I'm not sure why, aside from the obvious. Maybe it's because I still  
  
think world peace is far from accomplished and that means I have to keep you safe."  
  
"But you don't have to take sole responsibility for my safety. There are others beside  
  
you working on that. Including myself. So would you please be normal? As normal as you can be,  
  
of course."  
  
He opened his mouth to retort, but froze, frowning. "What's that supposed to mean? As  
  
normal as I can be?"  
  
Relena felt like grinning. Now, there was a lucky break. It seemed like the opportunity  
  
to make fun of Heero, something she had never done before, but had often seen Duo do, had  
  
presented itself at the most convenient time. "Oh, you know," she said vaguely. "I shouldn't  
  
elaborate on that. I'm sure it's a touchy subject to you," she added in a slightly hushed voice,  
  
as if trusting him with a delicate secret.  
  
A brown eyebrow rose over a Prussian blue eye. "You're acting really weird." Everything  
  
about him told her he was very nervous and confused. The fact that she could see it, was already  
  
a sure sign.  
  
"I've been hit in the head, a short while back. So have you, I heard. Don't you know  
  
walls are painfully hard?"  
  
She could see his thoughts tumbling through his head, until they came at a sudden  
  
standstill. She knew what he was thinking. Duo. He was the only one who had seen Heero banging  
  
his head against the wall. And so he most have also told Relena about the fact that Heero  
  
blamed himself for the injuries she sustained. It was about time he realized that, Relena thought.  
  
The perfect soldier was surprisingly slow today.  
  
"I do now," he dead panned.  
  
She smirked, playing along. "But don't you think you were a little drastic in your  
  
means to find out?"  
  
"I wanted to know what was harder, the wall or my head."  
  
An enormous smile broke out on Relena's face. My, he had changed. And for the good too.  
  
He was not as uptight as he had been during the war. Even in the times he was allowed a little  
  
respite, he had always been on guard, never showing his emotions. Now, despite the threat of  
  
another war looming over them, he found time to relax, to show that he was indeed human, and  
  
not the machine other people took him for.  
  
Settling more comfortably against her pillows she decided it was as good a time to  
  
catch up as any. Last time she had seen him, she had been called away before he was recovered  
  
enough to talk. Now, he wouldn't be going anywhere for a while, and neither would she. Though  
  
she hoped the doctors would let her out soon. The stark white walls became quite boring after  
  
a few minutes and she had seen them a bit longer than that already.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Count Edward Fielding was a greying man in his early sixties. Despite his age, he was  
  
still lean and well built, thanks to an balanced exercise program, a left over from his time  
  
in the armies. His grey eyes were staring at the painting on the wall opposite from him. The  
  
gilded frame made a stark contrast with the old fashioned dark wooden panels. The picture  
  
displayed a simple landscape of a very English cottage. Rather meaningless.  
  
He scowled. It had been quite some time, but he still had not received an answer from  
  
that girl Dorothy. Of course, the letter had been a long shot, but the least she could have  
  
done, was send some sort of reply, even if it was negative. The girl was rather arrogant, not  
  
to mention rude. He thought she knew about the records, and maybe even what they contained,  
  
but apparently, war-loving Dorothy was ignorant of her late grandfather's knowledge and actions.  
  
And commander Simmons wasn't making any progress either. He would order the pressure on  
  
those two Preventers to be increased. The Gundam pilots were essential to his plans.  
  
Leaning back he pressed a button on his desk, that activated the vid-screen. A few more  
  
commands later he was staring at the stern face of commander Simmons.  
  
"Good day, Count Fielding," the man spoke in his usual curt voice.  
  
"How is your progress with the two prisoners going?" The Count had never been a man of  
  
formalities.  
  
A look of annoyance flashed over the man's face. "They're still not talking. The man  
  
remains silent, apart from his screaming of course," a malicious grin appeared momentarily,  
  
"and the woman proves stronger than anticipated. It seems neither cares what happens to them.  
  
They're not talking. Or they're speaking the truth." He looked doubtful at that last.  
  
Count Fielding folded his hands and shot his subordinate a piercing glare. "Exactly who  
  
are these Preventers? Knowing more about them, might give us a means of leverage over them."  
  
"The woman's name is Sally Po, a lieutenant. The other is 'Wufei'. That is the only  
  
thing we managed to get out of him. The woman won't tell us his full name either."  
  
"Doesn't matter. It isn't a common name, so it can't be too hard to find. Continue your  
  
interrogation of those two and report when you come up with something. I'll have their backgrounds  
  
checked." He terminated the connection as soon as the commander had finished saluting.  
  
Grumbling he folded his arms. Stubborn idiots. Why wouldn't they just talk? The more  
  
they kept silent, the more fun commander Simmons would have with them. And that was not a good  
  
thing. Count Fielding was familiar with the commander's methods of interrogation. It was better  
  
not to survive that.  
  
He shoved his chair back and rose to his feet. Brusquely he walked out of his office  
  
and down the broad corridor in the direction of his Intelligence office. Ashing was the best  
  
hacker in his team. If anyone would be able to find something on those two Preventers, it was  
  
him.  
  
The Count pushed the stark grey door open, not bothering to knock. He was first in  
  
command. Even he walked into two people making they couldn't raise one word of protest. He  
  
smirked slightly at the thought. "Ashing," he barked, to distract him from the thought.  
  
A man in his mid-twenties appeared from behind a large computer console. His curly  
  
hair hung in his face. His eyes shone dully behind his spectacles. His shirt was crumpled,  
  
leading Fielding to believe the young man had once again fallen asleep in front of the computer  
  
screens. The dark circles underneath the eyes only proved his point. A forgotten coffee mug  
  
stood at the corner of the desk.  
  
"Yes, sir?" Ashing spoke.  
  
"I want information. See what you can find on a Preventer named Sally Po and one named  
  
Wufei."  
  
"Wufei who?" came the absentminded answer as nimble fingers already entered the command.  
  
"Unknown."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Count Fielding smirked again. That was what he liked so much about the man. He never  
  
complained if the info given was not complete. He just did as he was ordered, no questions asked.  
  
Sometimes Fielding wondered whether Ashing actually knew who and what he was working for. Still,  
  
he must, because he always came up with information relevant to their cause.  
  
He turned to leave Ashing to his work. As he headed back for his own office, his mind  
  
once again wandered to that Catalonia woman. Stubborn fool she was. Perhaps they should meet in  
  
person. He could be as persuasive as commander Simmons, if the need arose.  
  
Making up his mind he pressed the button of the intercom and ordered for captain Ross to  
  
come to his office.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Sally shifted her back against the wall of her prison, suppressing a shudder. She hadn't  
  
talked. She had not said a word. Rubbing her arms she reminded herself she had been through worse.  
  
This was nothing compared to the horrors the war had imprinted on her memory.  
  
What was it with men anyway? Did they really think even just the threat of rape, would  
  
make a woman tremble in her boots? It wasn't the first time. That commander had been smirking,  
  
so sure of himself. Well, she hadn't budged. No matter how he had bullied and threatened her,  
  
or hurt her later on.  
  
Gingerly stretching her legs she leaned back, diverting her thoughts to more pressing  
  
matters. Like how to get out. She had to find a way to get Wufei out of here. She doubted those  
  
idiots would provide him the proper medical attention. Without that, the bullet wound would get  
  
infected.  
  
Rubbing her arms again, the cell was cold, she suddenly realized she was no longer wearing  
  
her uniform jacket. That meant her homing signal wasn't working any longer. She just hoped HQ had  
  
at least found her general location. She had no idea where she was. All she knew was that she  
  
underground.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Duo came barging in the common room the other three Gundam pilots had gathered. Judging by  
  
his expression something was up.  
  
"Intelligence found Sally's life signal."  
  
"Where?" Heero answered. Finally. Now they could actually try and rescue them. Just the  
  
four of them, of course. Trowa was right in that. They couldn't drag the Preventers along in this.  
  
"One of the larger Colonies of the L2 cluster."  
  
"You've got to be kidding me!" Quatre exclaimed. "A colony?"  
  
Heero frowned. If they had gotten on a Colony they must have excess to a spaceport. That  
  
didn't sound too good. "Is she still alive?"  
  
"They don't know." Duo shifted nervously. "Apparently they lost the signal about twelve  
  
hours ago. So either she isn't wearing it anymore, or..." He didn't finish.  
  
Heero clenched his fists. "Come on," he grunted. "We have to get ready."  
  
"Why would they be on one of the larger Colonies?" Quatre wondered.  
  
"It's easier to hide in a crowd,"Duo muttered, already stalking back the way he came.  
  
Heero followed closely, followed by Trowa and Quatre.  
  
"If they're also on the Colonies, this organization is even larger than we anticipated.  
  
We don't even know whether we're headed for the Headquarters," Trowa mused.  
  
Heero shot him a glare. "If we are, would you back out?" He hoped the stoic pilot wouldn't  
  
even think about. His skills would come very much in handy in this rescue operation. His eyes  
  
wandered to Duo who was in font of him. The braided man's ability at stealth would be more than  
  
just useful when infiltrating this base. He then eyed the blond man behind his right shoulder.  
  
Quatre's face showed the same amount of concentration and determination as Heero felt. He suddenly  
  
blinked.  
  
"Quatre, you can't come."  
  
"What?" the blond asked incredulously.  
  
Even Duo had stopped to listen.  
  
"Well, not like this," Heero continued so he wouldn't make Quatre angry. "Your face is too  
  
well-known. Us three are just insignificant civilians. You are a familiar face in the business  
  
world. If you want to come, you have to disguise yourself."  
  
Quatre blinked owlishly for a moment, then gasped. "You're right, Heero. I'll take it up  
  
with Une right away."  
  
He hurried off in a different direction, while the rest of them headed straight for their  
  
quarters.  
  
Heero hoped it wouldn't take Quatre too long. With Sally's signal out for already twelve  
  
hours, who knew what condition their two friends. He didn't want to think about the possibility  
  
they already were too late to save them.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AN Well, that's it. Soon Wuffles and Sal will be out of there, I hope. We'll just see how things evolve, now won't we? Dorothy's part will be bigger soon. After all, the plot is tied to her family and past, obviously. Well, please review. I love reviews and I would very much like to thank everyone who has taken the trouble of reviewing this little story of mine. I know it's not nearly as good as many others on this website, but I like writing it and I don't really mind is not so exceptional. I just like it. Till next time.  
  
Bye  
  
Dannee 


	20. Chapter 19

AN I am so sorry for not updating in such a long time. Things just weren't progressing. I had no inspiration. My muse must have decided is was time to show up again. I don't know and I don't care as long as it's here to stay. I'm not entirely satisfied with this chapter and it's not the full rescue operation yet, either. I'm gonna need at least one more chapter for that, if not two. I'll try and keep things interesting, and update more. I can't promise you anything though. Sorry. For now, enjoy.

Thank you everyone who has reviewed so far. Thank you for sticking to this thingy. And thank you NafX for your praise of my wavering talent. I know my story may not be the best out there, but I still am proud of what I've accomplished so far and I'm glad there's people who agree with me. Always nice to hear from you. Thank you very much.

* * *

Under Pressure

Chapter 19

* * *

Brown eyes again glanced at the dark locks hanging in front of them. "Disturbing," Quatre whispered. He found his new looks very, very strange. But the brown hair and eyes were very average. No-one would give him a second look. He might just be able to openly walk the hallways of the base they were staring at.

A few hours ago Heero had pointed out an nondescript building of nine stories high along a relatively quiet road in the colony they were on. According to the plans the master hacker had been able to dig up, the building extended a few levels below the street's surface as well. The structure was listed as abandoned and was scheduled for demolition two months from now. Several L2 colonies were still struggling to repair the damage done to them, not only by the wars, but the time of the Alliance domination as well. This wreck was one of many waiting to be torn down and replaced by something livable.

Quatre let his gaze wander along the walls and corners of the building and was impressed by the way the organization had managed to hide themselves. When he had first set eyes on it, he had been dubious of Heero's conviction. Upon closer inspection he found the corners to be a little too much intact in comparison with the rest. The walls might look to be degrading, the skeletal structure was still pretty much intact. It was the perfect cover for a temporary base.

The young business man shuddered. If they, whoever 'they' were, could move around so much, they had to have contacts higher up in society. He didn't like the direction his thoughts were going. They were distracting him from the matter at hand.

Beside him Duo shifted the pack hanging from his shoulder. It was filled with small explosives, enough to create a disturbance, not enough to bring the building down on top of them. They would all be placed on the front half of the second floor. They didn't have the time to wander around the entire building. Duo would get a ten minutes head start. While he placed the explosives, Heero would try and locate Wufei and Sally. The would rendevous at the center of the first floor. From there they would split up. Heero and Quatre would go after Sally, while Trowa and Duo would try and get Wufei. No comms were used. The chance of interception of the signal was too great.

Quatre barely got the nod Heero gave Duo, before the two sprinted from their hiding place, avoided all the light and disappeared around the left corner of the building. He and Trowa sat back to wait exactly ten minutes before following. In the meantime the formerly blond owner of one of the largest companies in space found his thoughts wandering again. He was worried for his two friends trapped in that building. They couldn't even be sure they were still alive. It was not something he wanted to dwell on, but it was very much possible that they were risking their lives for two corpses. He fervently hoped the Preventer and the former Gundam pilot were alright and could be taken out of there.

That was another cause for concern. What if they were too injured to be able to get around well enough. Quatre would have to try and carry Sally, while Heero gunned their way out of there. But the blond CEO was never one for muscle strength and his time since the war had hardly been demanding of his physical capabilities. And then another thing, he didn't doubt Heero's abilities with weaponry, but he knew his own had dwindled somewhat. If things got hot, he'd be in serious trouble.

Quatre sighed. Things had changed in the four years since they had destroyed their Gundams. Even though he somewhat missed his faithful combat in arms and had never been able to completely rid himself of a sense of betrayal, he was also relieved to have acted the way they had. He had believed it to be the end of his time as a soldier. Unfortunately, he was now standing here, his back pressed to a grimy wall in an alley, his eyes trained on the likely hideout of a new enemy to peace. A well-organized one, at that.

A new war was imminent, but the current situation was a lot different from five years back. Relena was publically dead, the political field was in turmoil because of that, the enemy to peace was no longer a well-connected, dominating, world wide organization but many seemingly unrelated smaller groups under an unknown leader with unknown intentions.

Quatre tiredly rubbed his face. Other things had changed as well. The five former Gundam pilots were no longer fifteen year old soldiers (nearly) blindly obeying orders from vengeful scientists, they each had their own lives to live, homes and loved ones to return to. His heart wrenched in his chest as he thought about Duo, upcoming father, walking around with a sac full of explosives walking willingly into the lion's den. He hoped the young Maxwell wouldn't be born fatherless, and preferably in a war-free world, he added almost as an afterthought.

* * *

Duo slithered along the wall of the decrepit building with Heero right behind him. He hated this mission to the core. First off, because it had been too long since he had last done this. Old habits may die hard, but it had been four years since the Mariemeia incident and he had spent them settling down and learning to live a normal life. That didn't involve snooping around at night with a bag full explosives and a gun in his belt.

Second, he figured they were absolutely insane for doing this. Admittedly, he would be the first to barge in and bail his friends out, but that dying soldier inside him screamed at him he was in no condition to do what he was attempting now. This was worse than the time he had bailed Heero out of the military hospital, when he figured leaving a Gundam pilot, though at the time he hadn't been completely sure Heero was one, in enemy hands, wouldn't be for the good for the cause. Now, they had to drag out two people, in worse a state than Heero had been in, with no backup and no idea what they were up against. Sure, they had studied the blueprints of the building meticulously and Duo knew he would be able to make his way around there blindfolded, but those nice little computer files couldn't tell them how many people would be inside, or how well armed they were.

All in all, he thought this mission sucked ass, big time.

They reached the back entrance of the building. Heero slipped past him to settle against the wall on the other side of the door, drawing his gun. Duo reached for the oil squirt and released some of the black substance on the hinges. Then he closed his hand around the handle and nodded at Heero. He yanked the door towards him, while Heero took aim.

The first floor was empty. Heero signaled Duo to pass him and followed the burdened twenty year-old inside. It took some time before Duo's eyes had adjusted to the dimly lit environment. When they did, he saw how incredibly dingy it looked. The walls and ground were covered with water stains, the paint had almost completely disappeared and it was impossible to see what color it had once been, a few electrical wires remained to show where the lighting had once been.

He wrinkled his nose at the smell of the place. Old and dusty. He carefully made his way over towards the staircase, more towards the middle of the building. There Heero would try and find a possible entry in a hypothetical computer network to try and find Wufei and Sally's location. Yet another part of the mission Duo didn't like. It would only work if the organization occupied levels both above ground and below and had taken the risk of connecting the parts directly.

Heero nodded at Duo and headed for the column next to the door to the enclosed staircase. Just as Duo slipped through he door, he saw his friend open a panel and investigate the wiring. Knowing the other would complete his task he headed upstairs, using the stairs instead of the elevator, because of the risk of exposure. He only had eight minutes left to plant as many bombs as possible and get back down unscathed. And he wouldn't be able to bluff his way around this place like on an old OZ base. This group would be too closely knit for that.

Carefully he made his way one floor up. The door to that floor was blinded. He pressed his ear to the crack and listened. Silence. Cautiously he tried to open it and found it locked. 'Figures.' He pulled out his picks and wasted precious seconds opening the lock. He nearly forgot to look out for enemies when he looked around the second floor corridor. It was spotless. The floor was a smooth grey linoleum. The walls were an off-white. Everything looked organized and sterile. From his place he couldn't see any doors, only an air-conditioning grit. Silently he turned left, then right, heading towards the front of the building.

Voices halted his steps. For a few heartbeats he waited, poised on the balls of his feet. The voices didn't come any closer. In fact they were rather muffled. Realizing they must be coming from behind a closed door he continued walking, cautious for any more chances of discovery.

He shifted the bag on his shoulder and peered at his watch, only six minutes left. He cursed silently. The walls being as smooth as they were had put a dent in his plans. Now he had to find different places for his explosives. It would be taking a great risk, but he had to start opening doors. Only five and a half minutes left.

* * *

Heero opened the panel of the wiring and studied its insides. He immediately dismissed the thicker cables that were obviously power lines. Instead he focused on the small bundle of colored cables. Pulling a pair of pincers from his small backpack he sat to work stripping the cables from their protection.

Then he took out his laptop and plugged in the small adaptor that should protect his computer from traces as well as dangerous signals. He attached the adaptor to two stripped wires and watched his screen. No signal. Switching cables he continued until he had the right combination.

Then his finger flew over the keyboard. Commando's were entered and sent over the connection, hacking into the system. In half a minute he was in. But unfortunately he could find no rhyme or reason in this database. It seemed a random jumble of data without any kind of organization. He would have to dig through every file to see if it contained the information he needed. If that info was stored at all, of course.

His eyes traced the lines of text scrolling along the screen. On occasion he stopped to check whether the file held what he was looking for. After four minutes, he realized this was pointless. This organization was far too small to hold records of their prisoners. Maybe intercepting communication proved more useful. But he had to hurry. He only had about five minutes left.

He yanked the adaptor from his laptop and instead plugged in a small interceptor of radio waves in with a single earphone. Immediately his fingers resumed their work, testing several different frequencies at the same time. After exactly seventeen seconds he had found the main one. Using that knowledge, he hacked into their alarm system that would be connected to every comm in the base, mapping out positions of everyone of them. In the meantime he listened to everything that was said, hoping to find some clue on his friends's locations.

"...nothing to be seen. I guess it was false..." Duo must have run into a slight glitch.

"...getting tired. When is Sauders gonna..." Guard waiting to be relieved.

"...hasn't eaten anything again. Do I have to force it down his throat or something?" Found it. That sounded like a stubborn prisoner was starving himself. That sounded like something Wufei would do. Heero's fingers mutilated the keyboard in search of the source of said comm message. He tuned out the rest of the message which was most likely something along the lines of 'the less he eats, the weaker he gets, the easier we get what we want'.

There. Second level down, a corridor in the left corner near the front of the building. He had guessed right. At least Wufei was held below street level. Chances were, Sally was too. Question was, where?

"...don't know who's coffee it is, but if you don't..." Canteen, kitchen, whatever, unimportant.

"...finally getting laid again. I swear I've been dry for six..." Right, not what he was looking for.

"...running low on .32 ammo. Need to restock at the next..." Irrelevant. At least for now.

"...brought up to my quarters in an hours time. Maybe now I'll get that bitch to talk. Just don't give her..." And again, he found it. This was some superior talking most likely to the guard in front of a prisoner's door. Finding the target of that transmission would be easy enough. There. First level down, just about right above Wufei.

Heero frowned slightly. That would interfere with Duo and Trowa's escape route. He let his mental eye rove over the blueprints stored in his head. Maybe they could try the outside fire escape with Sally, if she was capable of walking and if the fire escape could hold them. It was on the outside and probably as rundown and inconspicuous as the rest fo the building looked.

The faintest tap of a fingernail against metal, two quick one slow, alerted him to Trowa and Quatre's presence. Duo was two silent steps behind them. Heero quickly severed the connection and closed his laptop, sliding it back in its case. Then he turned to the rest of this tiny rescue team.

"I found them," he murmured. He crouched down on the floor, drawing a quick sketch of the building in the dust and grime. "Two levels down, this corridor. Use the main stairwell to get away. Only deviate if you have to. Quatre, we're one level down, fire escape as getaway."

The three others nodded minutely. Duo raised the detonator. It was eleven minutes after the start of the mission. Heero shook his head. "Not until we're down. To much risk of getting caught on the stairs."

Not wasting a second, the four silently made their way down. Heero and Quatre stopped at the first landing, Trowa and Duo continued. Heero settled his back on one side of the door, pulled his gun and waited. Quatre shot him a nervous, brown eyed look from the other side.

Above them the building trembled.

* * *

AN I know. Horrible place to end it. I hate cliffhangers, but on the other hand, keeps the story more interesting, doesn't it? Please review and beg my muse to stay. I'm gonna continue on the next chapter. This is gonna be one long story.


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